Maria Stella Righettini

Maria Stella Righettini

Maria Stella Righettini is Associate Professor at the University of Padua, and Instructor of Governance and Public policies evaluation. Over the past 12 years, through participation in numerous EU-funded and nationally supported research projects, she has developed strong expertise in public policy analysis and evaluation. Her work focuses particularly on food security regulation, food safety governance, cybersecurity, and the sustainability and transition of food systems, and energy policies. She led complex, interdisciplinary, and multi-stakeholder initiatives, employing both qualitative and comparative research methodologies. She has proven track record of translating academic research into actionable policy recommendations and public engagement initiatives, especially in the areas of food security and safety policy, eco-social transitions, digital governance, and energy democracy.

Recent Publications

The governance of food security in Europe
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The governance of food security in Europe

Reframing e riconoscimento del diritto al cibo nelle politiche alimentari: Una sfida per l’Italia tra policy legacy e nuove sperimentazioni
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Reframing e riconoscimento del diritto al cibo nelle politiche alimentari: Una sfida per l’Italia tra policy legacy e nuove sperimentazioni

Noise at the street level: Revealing unwanted variability in seismic safety
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Noise at the street level: Revealing unwanted variability in seismic safety

Governance collaborativa e strumenti per la creazione di valore pubblico: La valutazione partecipativa della sostenibilità del sistema alimentare universitario
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Governance collaborativa e strumenti per la creazione di valore pubblico: La valutazione partecipativa della sostenibilità del sistema alimentare universitario

Institutionalizing cybersecurity policies through digital communication strategies. Assessing the digital nodality of cybersecurity agencies in Italy and France
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Institutionalizing cybersecurity policies through digital communication strategies. Assessing the digital nodality of cybersecurity agencies in Italy and France

See more publications here.

Research Projects

Building governance capacity in public procurement for eco-social sustainability: a comparative analysis of public school food procurement

Partners and roles:
University of Denmark: Public food procurement policies in Danish schools as a best practice of eco-social sustainability.

University of Tilburg: When explicit public policies are absent, what are the main drivers of food sustainability?

Budget:
20.000 €

Years:
2025-2027

Research Theme:
Public food procurement in schools represents a powerful policy tool to drive food systems sustainability while promoting child health and eco-social wellbeing. This comparative research project aims to investigate how municipal school meal programs across Europe can leverage public procurement strategies to simultaneously advance environmental sustainability, social equity, and nutritional goals. Drawing from the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy, the project will analyze the governance arrangements and implementation mechanisms employed by municipal authorities to integrate eco-social criteria into their food procurement practices. This includes examining supplyside interventions to foster sustainable production, as well as demand-side initiatives to influence consumption patterns and food education. The research will comparatively assess how different institutional contexts, stakeholder engagement approaches, and policy instrument mixes shape the ability of school food procurement to deliver integrated environmental and social benefits.

This comparative research project aims toinvestigate municipal school meal programs across Europe, with case studies in Italy, Denmark, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands, can leverage public procurement strategies to simultaneously advance environmental sustainability, social equity, and nutritional goals. Particular attention will be paid to the role of public-private partnerships, community involvement, and individual leadership in overcoming barriers and facilitating sustainability transitions. By identifying best practices and implementation challenges, the project seeks to provide evidence-based recommendations to enhance the eco-social performance of public food procurement across the educational sector. This will contribute to the broader European policy agenda of promoting healthy and sustainable food systems that protect child wellbeing while mitigating climate impacts.