1,720,995 research outputs found
In the shade of a thousand of bell towers. Long term population dynamics in the seismic crater of 2016 and 2017|All'ombra dei mille campanili: Dinamiche demografiche di lungo periodo nell'area del cratere sismico del 2016 e 2017
No full textDemographic and socioeconomic effects of environmental policies: the 1927 special goat tax and mountain depopulation in Italy
Full text linkThe research aims to assess the demographic impact related with the implementation of an environmental policy, which affects food availability in economically and environmentally fragile settings, dependent on few, unstable resources. The paper addresses this topic from a particular perspective, namely the special goat tax issued in Italy in 1927. I focus on the goat breeding because of its ecological footprint and the key role on population’s livelihood in marginal lands. Methodologically, the paper combines quantitative and qualitative sources. The analysis of demographic dynamics in a broad set of Italian mountain municipalities over the period 1911–1971 is matched with a qualitative part, based on a careful reading of the coeval survey on mountain depopulation. Findings of the analysis highlight that the goat tax undermined food security promoted outmigration and shrinkage in municipalities that were more dependent on goat breeding only. In addition, the 1927 law generated power struggles between landowner and local communities and between collective and private properties. Such results show that socially-blind, top-down environmental policies could exacerbate inequalities, food insecurity and power conflicts that threaten the effective implementation of the law. An ecological transition must be combined with social inclusion, constant care to the governance and power relations in order to extend public support and make regulations more effective
South Asian Diaspora in Italy: settlement patterns and locational factors
No full textPurpose: This paper empirically explores the spatial distribution of the four major South Asian communities in Italian municipalities between 2004 and 2014 and identifies the key determinants of these patterns. Design/methodology/approach: SAP’s (South Asian People) location patterns are investigated through a large and varied set of explanatory variables. Employing a settlement model and the inflow approach, we disentangle the impact of conventional pull factors and the network effect. Findings: We observe how SAP in Italy are concentrated in some specific locations, away from the natives. This decentralised clustered distribution results from a mix of contextual pull factors and ethnic networks with a strong local character. However, national communities exhibit striking differences in location patterns, determined by different pull factors. We found evidence of the overall persistence of drivers over time, which generated substantial inertia in the settlement patterns of SAP national groups over the 2008 crisis. Practical implications: We stressed how SAP have different settlement patterns and drivers, so they cannot be treated as a unicum. They call for place-based policies tailored to the specific needs of individual communities. Originality/value: We examine the relevant but under-researched SAP diaspora in Italy by comparing the Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan location models across all the Italian municipalities and checking if and how their spatial distribution changed over the 2008 crisis
Winners and losers in Italia agriculture of the 1930s: A contribution to the analysis of the interwar crisis
No full textThe article presents an estimate of the Italian agricultural production in 1929 and
in 1936-1937 by province and crop groups. The assessment, conducted, in the late 1930s by
a fairly well-known geographer and agricultural statistician, Luchino Franciosa, was originally
unpublished and had to be partially reconstructed since the original typescript has come
down to us without the appendix containing the detailed calculations. This two-year estimate,
built on a homogeneous methodology, is here used to evaluate the trend of the Italian provinces
in terms of the value of agricultural production during the recession of the 1930s, highlighting
winners and losers among the many «rural Italies» and their different crops. Moreover,
Franciosa’s data are also a useful basis for a first insight into the determinants of the
Great Crisis, from individual product specialisations to more general causes, such as international
market trends and the economic policies of the fascist regime
What futures for the Apennines? The anthropo-systemic value of mountainous inner areas
Full text linkThis paper contributes to the debate on the future of mountainous inner areas experiencing chronic depopulation by evaluating the costs and benefits of their abandonment. To this end, our analysis surveys and assesses their unique territorial capital—both in its tangible and intangible elements—that is often neglected or trivialized, especially in the economic debate. We refer to these characteristics as Anthropo-systemic assets and values, namely local factors activated by local communities whose existence is threatened by the ongoing depopulation process they are experiencing. Against this background, we provide a case study regarding the 2016–17 seismic crater in Central Italy which suggests that abandoning these areas represents a local and collective net loss, even from a public budget perspective. Instead, enhancing the liveability of these contexts is essential for regenerating and reactivating their territorial capital that would otherwise be irretrievably lost
Transnational ties in technology-based sectors: thecase of Indian software entrepreneurial firms in Italy
No full textThe paper aims to empirically analyse the presence of differences in transnational networking within the same ethnic group. We focus on an setting i.e. Indian software firms in Italy, where the standard variables defining the structural and agency conditions are weak; it permits to better appreciate the role and impact of ties. Using a unique purposely built dataset we show that, even within the same community, firms both rely on heterogeneous networks and are involved in different networking activities. This heterogeneity largely influences the role of cross border ties. Transnational networking can play a very different role in the competitive strategy of the firms, as they can represent the main asset, or a complementary factor or even an accessory element of the business
International markets, policy, and mobility. ’Rural Italies’ in the 1930s recession
No full textThe article analyzes the impact of the 1929 crisis on Italian agriculture using data from contemporary agricultural statistics and referring to a series of provincial clusters, homogeneous from the point of view of agricultural production. It delves into the role of various factors, including in particular the economic policies implemented by fascism - starting with the Battaglia del grano - and the mobility of the population
Improving resilience at the local level: The location of essential services within inner areas. Three case studies in the Italian Marche region
No full textThis paper aims at supporting public policies in the location choice of essential services in inner areas. Their provision, which, at present, is completely absent or extremely limited, is reputed to foster the local resilience of settings which have been following a prolonged process of socio-economic marginalization, leading to the creation of an “inner border region”. We contribute to this debate by suggesting the importance of the provision of these services at an appropriate territorial level. By investigating three case studies in the inner areas of the Marche region, we show how and why the location choice of public utilities must concern integrated inter-municipal systems and, equally important, all their sub-municipal settlements. Based on a space-equity approach, we propose a multistep algorithm aimed at achieving a relatively equal access to basic services, combining the need for concentrating their provision in one single municipality and that of their accessibility by local communities. From a public policy perspective, these considerations stress the crucial role an integrated and multilevel governance should have when planning interventions at a local scale, especially within inner areas
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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