4,235 research outputs found
Un fotografo sul piccolo schermo : L’avventura televisiva di Citto Maselli e Italo Calvino
No full textNel 1983 Francesco (Citto) Maselli traspone per la Rai il racconto di Italo Calvino L’avventura di un fotografo. In questo saggio analizzo i modi e il linguaggio filmico con cui Maselli rielabora il tema e lo stile di Calvino; attraverso una interpretazione benjaminiana del racconto, cerco di mostrare come il film sia costruito su tre dominanti: l’aspetto metapoetico e metacinematografico, il ruolo centrale dei mezzi di riproduzione del reale, e la problematizzazione del discorso erotico
A probabilistic model for the estimation of declining discount rate
No full textIn the Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) the traditional discount procedures determine a significant contraction of the financial terms that are furthest over time. This contraction is not acceptable in the economic evaluation of public projects with inter-generational effects, since it causes little appreciation of the net benefits for the future generations. The use of time-Declining Discount Rate (DDR) represents a possible solution to the problem. Following a critical analysis of the main methodologies that the theory describes, the study proposes an innovative model for the estimation of DDR. The model, based on principles widely recognized in literature, uses probabilistic laws and returns a simple-use forecasting algorithm, as uses economic and demographic data easy to find. The implementation for the Italian economy makes it possible to validate the model and makes it clear how significantly the results of the CBA can vary if a declining discount rate instead of a time-invariant rate is chosen. The important political repercussions on the entire allocation process of public resources demonstrate the effectiveness of hyperbolic discount procedures, suggesting to distinguish between constant discount rates for the evaluation of projects with intra-generational effects and time-declining discount rates for interventions with inter-generational implications
Sustainability indicators for the economic evaluation of tourism investments on islands
No full textThe sustainable tourism development is often a key element for the enhancement of island states. The fragility and the environmental, social and economic vulnerability that characterize these territories make the need to integrate the multiple aspects of sustainability into the decision-making processes concerning the definition of plans and programs of investment in the tourism sector increasingly urgent. Thus, the aim of the work is to build a dataset of sustainability indicators classified and weighed according to the subsequent characterization of a multi-criteria evaluation model. This dataset is obtained by defining an analysis procedure aimed at: selecting scientifically valid indicators, readily available by the analysts and easy to interpret by stakeholders; weighing the indicators themselves based on criteria shared in the literature; taking into account the uniqueness of the territorial reference system. The evaluation protocol proposed is substantiated in the subsequent steps of selection, classification, weighting and ranking of sustainability indicators for the analysis of tourism projects on the island. Innovative elements essentially concern weighting operation. In fact, the weight of each indicator is a function of several evaluation criteria and is estimated by using both statistical analysis methods and analytic hierarchy processes. The output of the study, consisting of the dataset of sustainability indicators, is a prerequisite for the subsequent characterization of a multi-criteria evaluation model able to select investment projects that balance the environmental, economic and social specificities of the island. This can determine greater effectiveness in the allocation processes of both public and private resources
The role of discounting in energy policy investments
No full textFor informing future energy policy decisions, it is essential to choose the correct social discount rate (SDR) for ex-ante economic evaluations. Generally, costs and benefits—both economic and environmental—are weighted through a single constant discount rate. This leads to excessive discounting of the present value of cash flows progressively more distant over time. Evaluating energy projects through constant discount rates would mean underestimating their environmental externalities. This study intends to characterize environmental–economic discounting models cali-brated for energy investments, distinguishing between intra-and inter-generational projects. In both cases, the idea is to use two discounting rates: an economic rate to assess financial components and an ecological rate to weight environmental effects. For intra-generational projects, the dual discount rates are assumed to be constant over time. For inter-generational projects, the model is time-declining to give greater weight to environmental damages and benefits in the long-term. Our discounting approaches are based on Ramsey’s growth model and Gollier’s ecological discounting model; the latter is expressed as a function of an index capable of describing the performance of a country’s energy systems. With regards to the models we propose, the novelty lies in the calibration of the “environmental quality” parameter. Regarding the model for long-term projects, another innovation concerns the analysis of risk components linked to economic variables; the growth rate of consumption is modelled as a stochastic variable. The defined models were implemented to deter-mine discount rates for both Italy and China. In both cases, the estimated discount rates are lower than those suggested by governments. This means that the use of dual discounting approaches can guide policymakers towards sustainable investment in line with UN climate neutrality objectives
Local marine reservoir age (δr) reconstructed based on the tsunami deposit from Pangani bay (Tanzania)
No full textQuantifying the local marine reservoir age (ΔR) and its change over time is critical for precise radiocarbon calibration of marine samples and for the study of the ocean carbon cycle. ΔR values are scarce for the African coast facing the Indian Ocean, and the few values available were obtained from pre-bomb shells collected during the 19th century. Here, the ΔR value for calibrated year 1110 ± 25 (1σ) CE was reconstructed from radiocarbon dating and Bayesian analysis of marine and terrestrial materials coexisting in a tsunami deposit discovered in Pangani Bay (Tanzania, western Indian Ocean coast). The reconstructed ΔR of –8 ± 40 (1σ, n = 3) is similar to pre-bomb regional estimates and provides new information to investigate regional ΔR change over time. The Bayesian analysis of the dated samples revises the age of the tsunami event found in Pangani Bay to 1064–1157 cal CE (95.4% confidence level) or 1110 ± 25 (1σ) cal CE, about one century younger compared to the previous estimate. Our results indicate that the new ΔR value and the proposed calibration approach can be used to refine existing chronologies in the region, with implications for paleo-environmental reconstructions and archaeological studies of Early Swahili societies
An economic model of risk assessment for water projects
No full textThe projects that concern water resources are characterized by the multiple risk rates - even extra-financial - that significantly affect their concrete feasibility. Although the risk assessment is decisive for expressing economic convenience judgements on these project initiatives, the decision-maker does not have precise references to determine whether the residual investment risk is acceptable. Thus, the purpose of the paper is to overcome the limit set by characterizing a model for the acceptability of project risk, also considering the plurality of environmental effects that the water projects generate on the community. The idea is to integrate the logic 'As Low As Reasonably Practicable' (ALARP) into the procedural schemes of Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA). In accordance with this principle, widely applied in high-risk sectors such as those of industrial engineering, a risk is ALARP when the costs to further reduce it are disproportionate to the obtainable benefits. The application of the model to an irrigation reconversion intervention in a Municipality in the Province of Salerno (Italy) shows that the ALARP logic defines a general way of thinking and can contribute to the definition of effective forecasting protocols. In this sense, the proposed methodology becomes a useful support for environmental decision-making. (The paper is to be attributed in equal parts to the three authors.
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