1,721,083 research outputs found
On the increasing size of the orogens moving from the Alps to the Himalayas in the frame of the net rotation of the lithosphere
No full textThe tectonic equator represents the great circle of the non-random mainstream of plate motions and it is inclined about 30° relative to the geographic equator. Divergence or convergence rates among plates are in average faster along the tectonic equator and they tend to decrease toward the polar areas. Moving from Western Europe to eastern Asia, the mainstream is roughly oriented southwest northeast. Here we show how this pattern may have played a role in determining the dimension of the Alpine-Himalayas orogenic belt, which is increasing in size and thickness moving from west-northwest to east-southeast, i.e., moving from high-latitude to low-latitude of the tectonic mainstream of plates. The Alps are in average 200–250 km wide, whereas the Himalayas are regularly > 1000 km wide. Moreover, due to the “westerly” polarization of the lithospheric mainstream relative to the mantle, either the net-rotation or the westward drift of the lithosphere, the subduction zones can be differentiated into two types, 1) increasing or 2) decreasing the lithospheric thickness. The Alpine-Himalayas system pertains to type 1 and it may represent a prototype of the continental lithosphere growth since the Archean. The increasing size of the orogens moving from the Alps to the Himalayas is presently concentrated in the northern hemisphere of the tectonic mainstream because subduction type 2 dominated the western margin of the Pacific ocean, hence preventing continental growth in the southern hemisphere in that longitude range. Therefore, the largest growth of continental crust and mantle lithosphere should have occurred along the tectonic equator, but only where type 1 subduction was generated
Inequalities in Consumption Patterns over the Life Cycle and the Great Recession
No full textThe aim of the study is to analyse the relationship between recession, population structure and consumption behaviour over the life cycle. To this aim, we consider three clusters of non-durable expenditures such as food at home, work-related and core expenditures. The analysis has been performed on micro data on the Household Budgets for the period 1997-2013. Based on life cycle theory, two statistical models has been estimated, viz. a pre-crisis (1997-2007) and a great recession period (2008-2013) model. The study shows that the recession has entailed a reduction of the average expenditure for each category of consumption, and the intensity of the reduction is different among households and generations
Dimensioni di benessere tra le famiglie italiane. Un’analisi sui dati EU-SILC 2005
No full textIl presente lavoro, utilizzando le informazioni dell’indagine EU-SILC
(European Statistics on Income and Living Conditions) del 2005 su 22.032
famiglie italiane, si pone come obiettivo l’analisi e la misura del benessere
multidimensionale. Nel paragrafo 2 sono riportate le ipotesi teoriche, mentre nel
paragrafo 3 è riportata l’analisi dei risultati e alcune considerazioni conclusive
Asymmetric dynamics at subduction zones derived from plate kinematic constraints
No full textThe lithospheric sinking along subduction zones is part of the mantle convection. Therefore, computing the volume of lithosphere recycled within the mantle by subducting slabs quantifies the equivalent amount of mantle that should be displaced, for the mass conservation criterion. The rate of subduction is constrained by the convergence rate between upper and lower plates and the motion of the subduction hinge H that may either converge or diverge relative to the upper plate. Here, starting from the analysis of the slab hinge kinematics, we evaluate the subduction rate at 31 subduction zones worldwide, useful to compute volumes of sinking lithosphere into the mantle. Our results show that ∼190 km3/yr and ∼88 km3/yr of lithospheric slabs are currently subducting below H-divergent and H-convergent subduction zones, respectively. We also propose supporting numerical models providing asymmetric volumes of the subducted lithosphere, using the subduction rate instead of plate convergence, as boundary condition. Furthermore, H-divergent subduction zones appear to be coincident with subductions having “westward”-directed slabs, whereas H-convergent subduction zones are mostly compatible with those that have “eastward-to-northeastward”-directed slabs. On the basis of this geographical polarity, our lithospheric volume estimation gives ∼214 km3/yr and ∼88 km3/yr of subducting lithosphere, respectively. This entails that W-directed subduction zones contribute more than twice in lithospheric sinking into the mantle with respect to E-to-NE-directed ones. In accordance with the conservation of mass principle, this volumetric asymmetry in the mantle suggests a displacement of ∼120 km3/yr of mantle material from west to east, providing a constraint for global asymmetric mantle convection
The Determinants of Subjective Economic Well-being: An Analysis on Italian SILC Data
No full textUsing Italian data on Income and living conditions for the year 2005, the paper investigates the main determinants of households’ subjective economic well-being by means of a Partial Proportional Ordered Logit Model. According to a joint subjective and objective perspective of analysis, we use as dependent variable the perceived ability of households to make ends meet. Whereas, we use as explanatory variables some objective aspects of living conditions relating to housing, financial equilibrium, possession of durables and quality of residence place and some socio-demographic characteristics. The empirical results show that the financial strain is the most relevant dimension of living conditions influencing the subjective economic well-being, but its effect is attenuated depending on the level of education and the tenure status of accommodation. Actually, when the highest levels of education are coupled with the status of self-employee and house-owner households have more chances to reach a higher probability to be economically satisfied. The insights coming out from the results may call for different policy measures depending on the degree of well-being and the characteristics of households. In particular, more efficient policies would be oriented to sustain the households’ income, to encourage to buy a house and to allow young people to get the highest levels of education
A PCA-AA approach to measure equal and sustainable well-being in the Italian Regions
No full textIl contributo propone una misura di benessere delle regioni italiane in termini di efficienza, considerando simultaneamente dimensioni economiche, sociali ed ambientali. Utilizzando un approccio integrato dell’analisi in componenti principali e dell’Activity Analysis, lo studio fornisce una misura di benessere in termini economici ed ambientali. L’analisi evidenzia una generalizzata incapacità delle regioni italiane di realizzare una buona performance economica ed ambientale.The study proposes a measure of the well-being of Italian regions in terms of efficiency, considering simultaneously economic, social and environmental aspects. The paper suggests an integrated approach using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and Activity Analysis (AA) to evaluate the equal and sustainable well-being (ESW) of Italian Regions for the years 2005 and 2010. The AA efficiency scores have been used to evaluate in a separate way the sustainable and economic development of regions. The analysis evidences that Italian regions do not show a suitable balance between economic and sustainable performance of well-being
Composition of families and subjective economic well-being: an application to Italian context
No full textUsing Italian data on Income and Living Conditions for the year 2005, the paper explores empirically whether the determinants of subjective economic well-being (SEW) differ (or not) in four representative typologies of households. By means of a Partial Proportional Ordered Logit Model the subjective economic well-being – proxied by the capacity of households to make ends meet – has been explored. Results highlight the variables acting on SEW, common to each typology, are related both to economic status (specifically, the capacity to pay taxes and to afford housing, clothes and holiday expenditures) and to socio-demographic status (specifically, the work-status and the highest level of education). A more in depth analysis, by level of education, shows the economic precariousness of some specific typologies, namely families with one person, with two or more children, and those whose respondent has a very low level of education
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