1,721,022 research outputs found
Public Provision vs Outsourcing of Cultural Services: Evidence from Italian Cities
No full textCultural policy often implies the transfer of public resources to private cultural institutions. In this contribution we focus on the determinants of a government’s choice between cultural transfers and in-house cultural production. We argue that in the cultural field transfers may be seen as a proxy for the value of outsourced services, and we make reference to the empirical literature on outsourcing of local public services. We consider Italian cities’ cultural policies in the1998-2008 period, a time when overall cultural expenditure shrank while cultural transfers increased. Using dynamic panel data analysis and controlling for specific characteristics of each city, we find that outsourcing of cultural services is negatively affected by cultural assets specificity and is more likely to occur in cities subject to fiscal stress. The results also highlight that the timing of elections affects the transfer of public resources to private cultural institutions
Immigrants, voter sentiment, and local public goods: The case of museums
No full textWe present a model where museum commitment to immigrant integration is conditioned by the possible negative reactions of native visitors and patrons. We then exploit the rich information provided by the 2015 Italian museum census to investigate the factors associated with a higher probability of museums developing promotion programmes targeting an immigrant audience, with a special focus on the size of immigrant communities and the importance of anti-immigrant sentiment in the local context. We proxy the latter with the municipal vote shares of parties with an anti-immigrant agenda in the 2013 national elections. Our evidence shows that the vote share of Lega Nord has a significantly negative and sizable estimated coefficient. Conversely, we find no positive association with the overall share of immigrants—only the size of specific minorities at the local level increases the likelihood that a museum engages immigrants. We control for a number of context variables and specific museum characteristics, some of which (age of establishment, type of collection) show a positive association with museum commitment to immigrant integration
“A place for my art”: independent artist-run spaces as incubators of artistic careers in Italy
No full textThis paper investigates the role of Italian independent artists-run spaces as incubators of artistic careers. Considering the trade-off between the sustainability of artist-run spaces and that of the careers of the people working in them, this article raises questions about the viability of the artists' support provided by these organizations in the medium and long run. Based on an in-depth analysis of fourteen case studies in Italy, our findings provide evidence of how artist-run spaces' organizational, managerial, and financial characteristics can work towards the professional development of artistic careers. We identify different trajectories of development of such organizations which vary according to the field of intervention chosen and to the motivation to establish and run the space. Results show how these factors influence the capacity of artist-run spaces to provide more effective strategies than those individually pursued by the artists to face the complexity of their labour market
Greenhouse assays on the control of the bacterial canker of kiwifruit (Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae)
No full textBACKGROUND: Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) is the etiologic agent of the bacterial canker of kiwifruit, the most severe disease of Actinidia spp. This pathogen was firstly recorded in Japan and in China. The initial occurrence in Italy dates back to 1992, but the most important outbreak was in 2008. From that year, Psa has spread worldwide with a devastating virulence causing substantial losses to kiwifruit production in China, Italy, New Zealand, Chile, France and Portugal. OBJECTIVE: Screening the existing compounds with different mode of action for their efficacy in controlling Psa on Actinidia deliciosa (cv. Hayward) grown in controlled conditions. METHODS: Products were grouped according to their active ingredients and mode of action in the following categories: Copper compounds, plant extracts, disinfectants, resistance inducers, filming agents and biological control agents (BCAs). The experiments were performed on potted A. deliciosa (cv Hayward) vines grown in controlled greenhouse conditions. Inoculation was experimentally performed by spraying each plant till run off with a suspension of a highly virulent, biovar 3 Psa strain. Disease control and phytotoxicity were monitored for 15 and 30 days after inoculation. RESULTS: Copper compounds and resistance inducers (acibenzolar-S-methyl, Fosetyl-Al) showed the most promising results. However, few other compounds, such as some plant extracts and disinfectants (Verdeviva), provided some protection. Also biological control agents (BCAs), containing living microorganisms, partially controlled the disease. CONCLUSION: Copper compounds and resistance inducers can be possibly combined to develop a more robust and effective control strategy in open field. In addition, BCAs seem interesting, particularly in specific phenological stages when other control methods cannot be used, although results require further validation
Critical aspects of an integrated monitoring system for landslides risk management: strategies for a reliable approach
Full text linkMicroparticles in table salt: Levels and chemical composition of the smallest dimensional fraction
Full text linkThis study evaluates the chemical composition of microplastic materials (MPs) and non-synthetic particles in different table salts of marine origin by the μFT-IR technique. This research focuses on the microparticles fraction within 10-150 μm of size. Eleven commercial trademarks coming from Italy (IT = 6) and Croatia (CRO = 5) were grouped in two different cost ranges, cheap (n = 5) and expensive (n = 6) and were analysed in replicates (n = 3). Levels and chemical composition of microparticles measured in commercial products were correlated on a statistical basis to some factors of variability of potential scientific interest (geographical origin of marine salt, cost of commercial products, etc.). Results of analyses performed on the tested size fraction of microparticles (10-150 μm) evidence that: (i) levels of MPs are within 0.17-0.32 items/g (IT) and 0.07-0.20 items/g (CRO); (ii) non-synthetic particles detected are mostly made by fibres made of cellulose acetate; (iii) Nations show a different chemical composition of MPs recovered in analysed trademarks (PET and PVC from Italy; PA, PP, and nylon from Croatia); (iv) the annual amount ingested by humans from marine salt consumption ranges between 131.4-372.3 items/y (CRO) and 306.6-580.35 items/y (IT) considering a dose of 5 g of salt per day; (v) statistics performed on factors of interest evidenced that the geographical origin of marine salt do not affect neither levels nor chemical composition of MPs in tested trademarks; while slight correlations are recorded with non-synthetic particles. Further studies are needed to better explore on statistical basis if both levels and chemical composition of MPs in table salts of marine origin can be used or not as good indicators of marine pollution
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