Will MSU prof take 'miracle of Mississippi' to Italy? Country wants him to run $8B program

Giacomo Bologna
Mississippi Clarion Ledger
Domenico "Mimmo" Parisi

Domenico "Mimmo" Parisi said he was at conference last year when he was approached by the Italian government with a tantalizing idea.

The Italian-born data scientist said he was asked in December if he wanted to lead Anpal, an Italian agency tasked with running "citizen's income."

According to Reuters, the roughly $8 billion-a-year program was a campaign promise of the Five Star Movement, a political party less than 10 years old that now has a majority in the Italian parliament.

Italians below certain incomes will be given digital cards with money loaded on them, Reuters said, while the government will work to pair unemployed people with jobs.

That's where Parisi comes in.

Parisi, a 53-year-old professor at Mississippi State University, was behind the creation of Mississippi Works, an app designed to connect Mississippians to job openings.

According to its website, Mississippi Works was an initiative of Gov. Phil Bryant.

Parisi praised Bryant and Bryant's predecessor, Haley Barbour, for believing in the power of data science to address unemployment.

The results have been "remarkable," Parisi said.

Since peaking above 10 percent during the Great Recession, Mississippi's unemployment rate has consistently fallen and now hovers under 5 percent.

That is historically low for Mississippi, though it still ranks among the worst in the country.

Parisi said the Italian government wants him to use his data science acumen to address unemployment there.

Unemployment in Italy is at about 10 percent, with youth unemployment substantially higher, according to a 2018 Bloomberg report.

Parisi said he was flattered by the opportunity, which he says came "out of the blue."

Then there was the photo of Parisi with Italy's deputy prime minister, Luigi Di Maio.

"Overnight I've become the new face of the workforce in Italy," Parisi said.

The headline of one Italian news site asked: "Who the hell is Mimmo Parisi?"

A newspaper in Rome said Parisi will bring the "'miracle' of Mississippi" to Italy.

However, Parisi stressed four things:

  • He is considering taking the position with the Italian government, but hasn't made up his mind;
  • He has not been fully confirmed by the Italian government, though he said Italy's House and Senate overwhelmingly supported him;
  • Mississippi State University has not yet approved his request for a one-year leave of absence;
  • He is not leaving Mississippi.

Ideally, Parisi said he would spend three weeks in Italy, then one week in Mississippi.

"Mississippi is my home," Parisi said. "...I married a beautiful girl from Louisville."

Contact Giacomo "Jack" Bologna at 601-961-7282 or gbologna@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter.