1,720,976 research outputs found
Are Special Economic Zone policies (SEZ) effective? An empirical analysis on the transport and logistics’ sector
No full textMonetary incentives for specific geographical areas have been implemented and regulated globally to stimulate economic growth in less developed regions, often yielding mixed and varied outcomes. Recently, Italy has launched similar initiatives to invigorate the economy of its southern regions, which are marked by significant territorial and economic gaps/disparities. This study focuses on the impact of Special Economic Zones (SEZ) in Puglia, a southern Italian region designated for these policies, using a Matching Difference-in-Difference (Matching DiD) analysis to assess their effects. Although the transport and logistics sector is formally excluded from SEZ incentives, one of the key requirements for establishing an SEZ in Italy is the inclusion of at least one port area. This paper assesses the indirect impact of SEZs on the transport and logistics sector. The findings indicate positive and significant effects on firm revenues, highlighting the potential of SEZs to serve as effective tools for revitalizing economically underdeveloped areas
Spatial pricing strategies in Italy’s urban gasoline markets: evidence from medium-sized cities using a spatial econometric framework
No full textAdditional evidence is essential to determine the extent and manner in which spatial variables influence the variation in gasoline prices across cities. In particular, we focus on two major Italian cities: Milan and Naples, which are the second and third largest cities after Rome. By employing a spatial econometric modelling approach, we analyse the impact of competition and territorial variables characterising the urban area within a specified radius around each observed station (i.e., the catchment area). Our findings suggest that competition reduces price-fixing behaviour in these cities, with effects that vary according to city size and territorial factors. Furthermore, the results highlight the need for a greater density of low-cost stations in urban areas
Innovating the last mile: Consumer acceptance and economic drivers of drone deliveries in urban logistics
No full textRetail e-commerce growth has led to greater demand for urban transport and last-mile deliveries, increasing the associated challenges and issues. In this context, policymakers are called upon to introduce innovative systems toward an environmentally sustainable approach. Using drones for freight deliveries could be a solution, although their use in most countries remains in its infancy for technical, economic, security, and reasons linked to public perception. Through a survey, we shed light on the elements influencing the use of drones for freight deliveries in relation to consumer preferences. Through factor analysis, multinomial, and ordered logit models, we identify factors that facilitate the potential adoption of this service and influence citizens' willingness to pay and sensitivity to drone use. These preliminary results provide important insights for local policymakers and regulators in developing and implementing policies on integrating drone freight services into urban mobility strategies
Crowding out agricultural insurance and the subsidy system in Italy: empirical evidence of the charity hazard phenomenon
No full textPurpose: The term “charity hazard” refers to the issue of the crowding out of insurance by co-existing relief programs in the context of different institutional governmental disaster schemes. In this context, the aim of this paper is to verify if the charity hazard phenomenon exists in the Italian agricultural insurance scheme. Design/methodology/approach: Annual data regarding crop insurance, subsidies and farm structure were extracted from ISMEA, ISTAT and FADN databases. A SYS-GMM dynamic panel model was estimated, considering the 2010–2017 time period and the Italian Regions as units of the analysis. Findings: The empirical results highlight a negative relation between crop subsidies and the farmers' policies and total premium paid. The disincentive and crowd-out effects of public aid and subsidies on the choice of whether or not to take out an agricultural insurance policy ends up being one of the key factors for the low level of penetration of the agricultural insurance in Italy. Practical implications: Since the diffusion of agricultural insurance can contribute to the general objective of sustainability and resilience, the implementation of alternative solutions to subsidies could be needed (e.g. the introduction of mandatory insurance against adversities or financial support for a geographically specific insurance tool). Originality/value: Investigating empirically the determinants of the agricultural insurance policy diffusion among the Italian Regions, this study ensures an original contribution to the scientific progress in the field, demonstrating the existence of charity hazard caused by the public subsidies provision
Renewable energy consumption, environmental degradation and economic growth: the greener the richer?
Full text linkClimate change presents the greatest challenge facing all countries of the world in the new millennium. Among others, objective 13 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aims at adopting urgent measures to contrast climate change and its consequences. Part of the decline in the global growth of emissions has been the increase in using renewable energies. In this context, the relationship among GDP, CO2 emissions, and renewable energy use has been investigated in this study, starting from a systematic review that has noticed the presence of three clusters focused on: CO2 emissions, GDP, and energy consumption. Despite the current level of interest in examining the relationship among these variables, there have been few empirical studies. To fill this knowledge gap, this paper has been focused on the Scandinavian countries, where the use of renewable energies has steadily increased, developing novel panel analysis estimates. Using a dataset of these five economies over a 1990–2018 time period, several panel data tests have been carried out, in order to robustly assess the causality issue among renewable energies, CO2 emissions, and GDP. The results of the empirical analysis imply that renewable energy consumption is a useful policy instrument to reduce CO2 emissions without adversely affecting GDP growth. The main implications have been that the decrease of CO2 emissions, by increasing renewable energy use, can guarantee high levels of energy efficiency and economic growth. These empirical findings help design innovative energy policy roadmaps and accelerate the ecological transition through the promotion of renewable energy and the reduction of GHG emissions
The challenge of sustainability in territorial development
No full textTourism is one of the economic sectors in which sustainable disclosure has been successful in enhancing the role of eco-labels to increase firm reputation. A new value for eco-labels is given by their active role in local development strategies. This chapter studies the impact of the Blue Flag program on tourism development, through the lens of sustainability and green awareness of local inhabitants and tourists. Blue Flag is an indicator of a holistic stakeholder engagement, since it involves public policy instruments, firms’ strategies and users’ behaviour. Based on a a quantitative analysis taking all Italian territory as the perimeter of the analysis for the case study, significant results in terms of the economic impact of Blue Flags are obtained. The main conclusions are that they positively impact income per capita and they have a role in the decision process of municipalities pursuing a local development strategy; that is, participation in the program influences the “green” behaviour of local communities, taking into account the relevant role of sustainable tourism as a driver for the community improvement and wellness. © 2024 selection and editorial matter, María A. Prats and Fernando Merino; individual chapters, the contributors
The green development in China through the lens of complex cybernetics: Insight for a new era
Full text linkBlack boxes and market efficiency: the effect on premiums in the Italian motor‐vehicle insurance market
No full textThe paper addresses the research question of whether black boxes affect the market
efficiency, particularly by reducing the level of premiums. The case analyzed
is the Italian motor-vehicle insurance market, characterized by the greatest amount
of black boxes in the world as a consequence of regulatory interventions that fostered
the spread of these kinds of devices. Particularly, using the data provided by
the Italian Insurance Authority (IVASS), we show a specific relation between the
increasing number of these devices and the decreasing trend in average premium.
Conclusive remarks outline that in the near future this efficiency effect may increase
because of the specific use of information derived from the black box that reveals
the behaviors of the drivers and allows for innovative ways of individually profiling
the insurance policies
Post-Adversities Recovery and Profitability: The Case of Italian Farmers
Full text linkInsurance represents one of the main instruments, together with other risk management mechanisms, to face the adverse effects produced by natural calamity that, despite their growing intensity and the enormous costs, are still perceived as “exceptional”. Risk management is an important part of farming, and it is a concern for those governments which aim at achieving their agricultural policy targets. In this context, crop insurance can also represent a financial mitigation tool for farmers to face climate change consequences. This study is focused on the Italian case analyzing the evolution of public support and its effect on risk management policy in agriculture. Our research, based on panel data regressions, provides two different levels of analysis. The first one evaluates how the reimbursed value issued by insurance companies in favor of agricultural firms, as recovery from natural adversities, affects farmers’ profitability. The second one evaluates how the reimbursed value is used in farm management. The results of the analysis demonstrating the significance of insurance variables and their positive effect on the profitability of the farms, represent a strong advance in the farm risk management fiel
How Drought Affects Agricultural Insurance Policies: The Case of Italy
Full text linkDespite their growing intensity and the enormous costs, adverse meteorological events are still perceived as “exceptional”. Among the adverse weather events, the management of drought risk plays a key role due to the more pressing problem of the scarcity of water resources. In this context, agricultural insurance can represent a financial and risk mitigation tool for farmers. In this perspective, the aims of this study are: (1) to analyze, through a systematic review, the main findings of the scientific literature focused on the empirical and theoretical approach to the relation between adverse weather events in agriculture, risk and insurance; (2) to collect agroclimatic and insurance data for each Italian province for the period 2004-2011, (3) to measure the influence of climatic agroclimatic variables on insurance variables, i.e. Total Premiums, Insured Value and Certificates.
The results of the analysis show the significance of the precipitation variable and its negative effect with each insurance dependent variable. The same result can be observed focusing on the effect of minimum temperature on two insurance variables, i.e. Total Premiums and Certificates. Models tested explain a range between 44% and 51% of the variation in our insurance dependent variables
- …
