Dr. Valon Hasanaj is a Quantitative Researcher at the Swiss Forum for Migration and Population Studies (SFM), University of Neuchâtel, where he is involved in two projects: (1) the Weave Project, which focuses on experimental research into EU mobile workers’ access to unemployment benefits, and (2) the AI Project, which focuses on artificial intelligence, bureaucrats, and welfare state services, exploring the role of AI in administrative decision-making and public service provision. He is currently co-authoring a book for Oxford University Press (expected in 2027) and is the recipient of the 2024 Cambridge University Press Award for Excellence in Social Policy.

Dr. Hasanaj is also a Lecturer and Researcher at the University of Bern, where he teaches courses in empirical research methods and political economy. He has supervised more than twenty bachelor’s theses and is currently mentoring a PhD candidate. His doctoral studies were completed under the supervision of Isabelle Stadelmann-Steffen (University of Bern) and Vally Koubi (ETH Zürich), with research focusing on the intersections of poverty, inequality, and climate change. A Fulbright award recipient, Dr. Hasanaj also brings experience as a former central bank economist and EU project consultant. As of 2025, he is an early investor and contributor to four AI-related startups and protocols.

1. Artificial Intelligence and Bureaucrats: Examining Discrimination against Migrants in European Welfare Systems

2. Weave Project: EU-SOCIETY

3. NCCR Collaborative Project: Attitudes Towards Migration and Democracy in Times of Crises

Hasanaj, Valon, & Isabelle Stadelmann-Steffen. “Is the Problem or the Solution Riskier? Predictors of Carbon Tax Policy Support.” Environmental Research Communications4 (10): 105001. https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/ac9516.

Hasanaj, Valon. 2023. “Global Patterns of Contemporary Welfare States.” Journal of Social Policy52 (4): 886–922. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047279421001033.

Hasanaj, Valon. 2023. “The Shift towards an Eco-Welfare State: Growing Stronger Together.” Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy39 (1): 42–63. https://doi.org/10.1017/ics.2023.2.

Hasanaj, Valon. 2023. “The Eco-Welfare State: A Powerful Synergy for Our Future.” The Social Policy Blog(blog). September 15, 2023. https://socialpolicyblog.com/2023/09/15/the-eco-welfare-state-a-powerful-synergy-for-our-future/.

Hasanaj, Valon, & Isabelle Stadelmann-Steffen. “Gendered Leadership and Political Structures: A Global Analysis of Crisis Responses Across 150 Countries.” International Political Science Review, 47(1): 75-96. https://doi.org/10.1177/01925121241301046

Manatschal, A., Hasanaj, V., Ruedin, D & Borrelli, L.M. 2026. “Migrantization of mobile EU citizens? Assessing the impact of political reception contexts on bureaucratic discrimination”. Comparative Migration Studies,14: 1-21, https://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-026-00536-5

Hasanaj, Valon & Anita Manatschal. 2026. “When Equal Rights Do Not Lead to Equal Treatment of Mobile EU Workers”. NCCR on the Move. https://nccr-onthemove.ch/blog/when-equal-rights-do-not-lead-to-equal-treatment-of-mobile-eu-workers/