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This paper examines both theoretically and empirically the link between pro-social behaviours, individual attitudes regarding waste prevention and disposal, and individual recycling behaviour in Italy at the end of the 1990s, in a period in which policy makers started to make the population aware of the importance of waste prevention, disposal and recycling. In the theoretical framework, following Czajkowski et al. (Environ Resour Econ 66:647–670, 2017), we develop a utility function that represents the individual level of satisfaction, which is influenced by certain aspects related to environmental quality. In the empirical analysis, using the 1998 wave of the multipurpose household survey (MHS) conducted by the Italian Central Statistical Office and probit models, we show a positive relationship between pro-social behaviours, waste concern and recycling behaviour that is robust to the inclusion of social capital variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the difficulties and challenges in mobilizing and managing social capital in concrete local and territorial directed rural development project activities. The main focus is put on the roles of local facilitators working with farmers and other local stakeholders during project implementation. The EU 5th framework project IMALP included a strong component of implementing concrete actions. In each of the four participating countries a region was selected where a so-called local group was established. A local facilitator was employed to moderate the local group and to assist in the design and implementation of concrete projects. Research accompanied and monitored the process. The recent shift of EU policy towards rural development from a mainly sectoral (agricultural) approach to a territorial approach requires new competences in managing social capital and on their changing role(s) in the different stages of group formation and development. Professional support by facilitators with a set of new skills is needed in the course of group formation and development. The identification, mobilization and management of social capital become a crucial challenge. So far the mobilization and management of social capital does not happen consciously. Agricultural advisors taking over the task of local facilitators need to be specially trained in actively mobilizing and coordinating towards a common goal. The value of the paper lies in the analysis of the experimental approach of the project and the cross-country comparison of the results.

Rural ethnic minorities occupy unique economic, social, as well as geographical places in Australian society. Non-Anglo-Celtic immigrants have transformed the rural landscapes through the construction of public and private spaces expressing their cultural heritage. These sites can also significantly impact the dynamics of social cohesion and inter-cultural relations in multicultural rural communities. The paper explores the potential role of the sites built by rural ethnic minorities in promoting both intra-group solidarity and inter-group dialogue. It also provides insights into complexities of multicultural place-making. The paper is divided into two parts. The first part briefly explores the literature on the migration and heritage, place, belonging and social cohesion, and the relationship between social capital and the built environment. The second part outlines empirical findings from Griffith, a regional town in New South Wales. The focus is on the places built by Italian immigrants, such as the Italian clubs and the recently built Italian Museum and Cultural Centre. The construction of these places facilitated a sense of solidarity among the Italian immigrants and expressed their belonging to place. However, the immigrant's attempts at place-making simultaneously involved inscribing a degree of exclusivity and a strategy of becoming more a part of their new environment. In doing this there is also potential for multicultural place-making to intensify the existing intra- and inter-group tensions. (Contains 2 figures.)

In this paper we investigate the relationship between social capital and cheating behaviour in standardized tests. Given the low-stakes nature of these tests, we interpret the widespread presence of cheating as a signal of low trust towards central education authorities and as lack of respect for the rule of law. We find that cheating is negatively correlated to several social capital proxies in the local environment where a school is located. We also distinguish between different dimensions of social capital: contrasting "universalistic" and "particularistic" social values, cheating appears to be negatively correlated only to measures of universalistic social values.

The open innovation perspective offers a powerful framework which can be used in developing an understanding of the relationships that are established between academia and industry in the process of technology transfer. This paper develops a fourfold classification of technology transfer activities based on consultancy and the protection of intellectual property rights, and identifies the factors characterizing each activity. An empirical study was conducted with a sample of 249 researchers affiliated to Italian universities and the results indicate that specific forms of technology transfer are associated with particular configurations of regional systems of innovation, academic organizations and the motivations of researchers. The authors find that exchanges of tacit knowledge benefit from social interaction, while those based on codified knowledge are less context-dependent. In addition, more complex forms of technology transfer--those combining tacit and codified knowledge--require a broader endowment of resources, at both individual and contextual levels. (Contains 5 tables and 2 figures.)

To date, little empirical research on professional use of social network sites has been conducted, particularly with reference to groups of teachers on Facebook. The paper presents the results of two surveys addressed to the founders of five Italian Facebook groups and their members (n = 1107), with the aim of investigating mechanisms underlying group membership and reflecting on their implications for professional development. A number of hypotheses were tested in order to explore the nature of three dimensions (domain, network and practice) involved in these groups, assimilated by authors into networks of practice. The study investigated the mechanisms of group membership and their participatory dynamics in terms of group types (generic vs. thematic), duration of membership and the interplay between offline and online activities. Results showed that groups differing in terms of domain (generic or thematic) are characterized by particular mechanisms of affiliation and participation and that mechanisms of legitimation of the members, as well as of shared resources, are associated with the duration of membership. Further research should be conducted to investigate how social capital dynamics evolve over time, influencing the construction of group identity. (Contains 7 tables.)

This paper focuses on the introduction of a suitable method for the measurement of social capital in the context of rural development policies. We present an empirical application of the method to four case studies from the south of Italy. In order to overcome some limits affecting previous empirical research, we have grounded the measurement framework upon a clear decomposition of the concept of social capital characterizing three main dimensions: structural, relational and cognitive. This has allowed us to build five direct indicators for the core components of social capital created within the EU local agencies for rural development (the Local Action Groups). Moreover we have set a synthetic measure capturing the specific configuration of the internal social capital of the groups as a whole. (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.)

Purpose: This paper aims to analyse the evolution of Chinese industrial ethnic clusters in Italy, by focusing on the role of social networks and the processes behind the phenomenon of Chinese worker exploitation and entrepreneur "self-exploitation". Design/methodology/approach: The case study is a sub-cluster of micro and small enterprises owned by Chinese entrepreneurs within the leather industrial district of Florence, Italy. This research adopts the following mixed methods: a small-scale survey to capture the characteristics of the sub-cluster and a social network analysis to describe cluster evolution, complemented by life-course interviews conducted with key informants and entrepreneurs. Findings: Migrant social capital and social networks play a central role in the evolution of the case study sub-cluster. Social networks play a supportive role in migration, job creation, entrepreneurship formation and the creation of business opportunities. Simultaneously, they enhance the phenomenon of worker exploitation and entrepreneur self-exploitation. Furthermore, the more the business community grows, the more the economic performance of ethnic enterprises depends on agglomeration forces produced by the cluster. Practical implications: The findings suggest a series of potential policies to upgrade the ethnic enterprises' capacities, to increase their formality and inclusion in the Italian social and economic systems and sub-cluster. Originality/value: To the authors' knowledge, this paper is the first attempt to examine the evolution of social networks in relation to the phenomenon of Chinese worker exploitation and entrepreneur self-exploitation in an ethnic industrial sub-cluster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the extent that material, social, and cultural resources and schools account for the relationship between socioeconomic background and student achievement among 15-year-olds in 30 countries. Generally, cultural factors play a more important role in most countries although in a small minority of countries, material resources have a substantial impact. Most often, social resources have little impact. In many countries, educational differentiation--that is, school tracks and school types, and curriculum tracking within schools--mediates the relationship between socioeconomic background and student achievement. Countries with highly tracked systems tend to show stronger relationships. On average, over 60% of the effect of socioeconomic background on achievement is accounted for by these factors. These findings are independent of whether achievement in reading, mathematics, or science is examined. The implications of this study for reducing socioeconomic inequalities in education are discussed.

In a social capital framework, the quality of institutions and generalised social trust enhance attitudes towards disposal practices that are less environmentally invasive for the. This study aims to improve our empirical knowledge of this relationship through panel data models to show that waste recycling is affected by social capital and government effectiveness. The study uses Italian annual provincial data (NUTS-3 level) for 2004-2016 period to show that social capital and the quality of institutions are extremely important in determining waste recycling behavior. We find that both social capital and the quality of institutions, which act as 'substitutes for goods', increase waste recycling, although with different effects at the territorial level. In the southern and central areas, waste recycling needs to be spurred through policy interventions aimed at improving the quality of institutions, education and trust among citizens, whereas in northern Italy, social capital on its own is sufficient to enhance waste recycling. Hence, our results suggest that policies for waste recycling cannot be uncoupled from the promotion of social cohesion and institutional quality., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Within the past several years, a considerable body of research on adherence to diabetes regimen has emerged in public health. However, the focus of the vast majority of these studies has been on the individual traits and attitudes affecting adherence. Still little is known on the role of the social and physical context in supporting or hindering diabetes self-management, particularly from a qualitative standpoint. To address these limitations, this paper presents the findings of a Photovoice study on a sample of 10 type 2 diabetic older adults living in a deprived neighbourhood of an Italian city. The findings reveal that the possibility to engage in diet, exercise and blood sugar monitoring seems to be more affected by physical and social elements of the respondents' environment than by the interviewees' beliefs and attitudes. Both environmental barriers and social isolation emerge as barriers to lifestyle changes and self-care activities related to blood sugar monitoring. The predominance of bonding social capital, the scant level of trust and the negative perception of local health services result in a low level of social cohesion, a limited circulation of health information on diabetes management and, consequently, in poor health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we develop a new composite indicator, named Social Catalyst, able to account for the complex and multifaceted nature of the social capital in a unitary measure. We use our indicator, as well as its components, to explore the relation between social capital and electoral participation in the parliamentary elections in Italy from 1994 to 2008, addressing the potential endogeneity bias. Our findings show that (i) the Social Catalyst positively and significantly affects voter turnout in both Chambers; (ii) among the different dimensions of social capital, social norms and associational networks play a prominent role in the Italian regional context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present the results of an experiment conducted in Italy on trusting behaviour. Our subjects participated in a trust game and filled in a questionnaire on trust and trustworthiness based on the attitudinal questions reported in the European Value Survey. The aims of the research are twofold. Firstly, using the experimental dataset, we construct two measures of trustworthiness among all recipients in the experiment, one based on the questionnaires' answers and another based on the strategy method. We then compare the ex-ante behavioural decision to trust (before participants are allocated to a group) with the ex-post decision to trust (after participants are allocated to a group and trustors are informed of the level of trustworthiness of all the recipients who have been randomly allocated to each group). Our main finding is that trust strongly varies once the information is disclosed to trustors. The effect on trust is greater when the strategy method is used. Secondly, we compare the behavioural measure of trust with the attitudinal measures of trust and trustworthiness and find that there is only a weak correlation between the two measures, thus confirming, for the Italian case, similar findings in country-based studies on trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses the determinants of household recycling in Italy, with particular emphasis on social behaviours. The econometric analysis is based on two waves – 1998 and 2000 – of the Multipurpose Household Survey conducted annually by the Italian Central Statistics Office. In Italy, household recycling was substantially voluntary in the years from 1998 to 2000-with no monetary incentives or pecuniary sanctions. Five different materials are investigated: paper, glass, plastic, aluminium and food waste. The results of the probit regressions suggest that membership in non-profit associations, church attendance, the habit of talking politics and reading newspapers are significantly correlated with household recycling behaviour; while gender, age, education and household income play the biggest role. The findings also show that the presence of recycling bins for waste improves household recycling behaviour for all materials, whereas the difficulty of reaching recycling bins adversely affects household recycling outcomes. Household judgements on waste disposal charges have no effect on the recycling effort. Residency in southern Italy is associated with the lowest probability of recycling all materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely accepted that individual happiness is not, or not solely, related to material possessions, at least once basic needs are fulfilled. It has been demonstrated that interpersonal relationships and social capital matter too, and people whose values are more centred on material possessions have a greater probability of being less happy. Is this still true during the COVID-19 pandemic, when interpersonal relations, health and economic security are threatened and feelings of insecurity emerge? This is the issue that we address in this paper. We exploited the unique natural situation of the pandemic and lockdown in Italy to investigate the relationship between happiness and relational and material goods. Data collected by questionnaire during the lockdown suggests that the main direct effect of the pandemic on the happiness of respondents was related to the effect of the pandemic and lockdown on interpersonal relationships. Those who declared that COVID and lockdown had jeopardized their interpersonal relationships were significantly less likely to report higher levels of happiness, especially when controlling for other personal and contextual covariates. An important gender, religious and town size effect also emerged. Moreover, relational goods and good health were considered to be the most important determinants of happiness, though people were not so worried about their own health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migrant entrepreneurship has been acknowledged in the literature to be a dynamic and diffused phenomenon that characterizes local systems within European countries in the form of ethnic economies. The aim of the paper is to investigate the phenomenon of ethnic quasi-enclave industrial sub-clusters within industrial districts and to analyse social capital within the economic and social dynamics. The interpretative framework adapts the mixed-embeddedness approach to a case study of Wenzhounese migrant socioeconomic quasi-enclave leather industrial sub-clusters located adjacent to the industrial district area of Florence (Italy). Given the complexity of the phenomenon, the research study adopted a mixed-method approach. The qualitative methods included a one-year observational analysis, in-depth interviews conducted with key stakeholders and life-course interviews conducted with migrant Wenzhounese entrepreneurs. Structured interviews were conducted with multiple micro-entrepreneurs and their households to conduct a multiple-case study analysis and social network analysis. Both were based on data collected via a survey administered to a random sample of enterprises. This analysis contributes to the existing literature on migrant enterprises and communities within industrial clusters in Italy, adding new evidence related to ethnic entrepreneurship and the importance of social capital in the social and economic dynamics that influence micro entrepreneurs and their community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Italy, there are a number of formal organisations established and run by Polish immigrants and their descendants. The paper gives a brief account of the associations’ characteristics and describes how their internal factors – particularly social and cultural capital – have been primary determinants of their condition. The impact of human resources is particularly pronounced, since the Polish organisations in Italy remain largely unseen, either from the perspective of the country of origin or the country of residence, as well as relations between them. The invisibility context in which they pursue their goals and activities is discussed. Also, the ramifications of invisibility as a concept are given careful consideration. The analysis is based on the findings of a study that was conducted in the years 2016–2020 within the framework of the ‘Polish Immigrant Organisations in Europe’ research project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the past fifteen years, economic and managerial studies have devoted increasing attention to the role of cultural and creative industries, especially in promoting urban regeneration and local development in metropolitan areas. Less attention has been paid to culture-led development in marginal and fragile areas. Moreover, there is increasing policy and research interest in post-disaster resilience, and it is well known that rebuilding communities is even more important than physical reconstruction. This paper contributes to advance knowledge by interconnecting these research fields. We focus on inner areas and take as a specific object of analysis a wide area affected by the earthquakes that struck Central Italy between August 2016 and January 2017. Drawing on empirical data collected through semi-structured interviews with local cultural and tourism managers, we examine initiatives of horizontal and vertical cooperation that unfolded in the first two years after the earthquakes and we discuss issues and prospects of 'adaptive resilience' that may emerge thereinafter. We suggest that the wealth of bottom-up cultural experiences launched after the earthquake, and their high degree of inclusiveness can be considered as signs of the social capital that can sustain the post-earthquake economic recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Papers in Regional Science is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper presents the first results of a case study of Italian professionals' mobility to the city of Valencia (Spain), highlighting the heterogeneity of the labor insertion paths within and between groups of emerging and traditional professionals. A qualitative method was used: 25 in-depth interviews and a two-year observation in virtual and real communities were carried out. According to our analysis, the heterogeneity of the labor insertion itineraries, revealed by the migrants' narratives, can be understood by taking account of the various combinations of social, economic, and cultural capital with which the Italian professionals were endowed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To discuss the development of the family and community health nurse (FCHN) in Italy by focusing on three levels: organisational, political and theoretical., Background: The role of the FCHN in Italy is not yet embedded evenly across the Italian National Health System (INHS) and does not have formal recognition, either contractually or organisationally. Although complementary post-basic training has been available for over a decade, the FCHN's role in Italy currently exists only in pilot form. In some regions, the FCHN has operated for longer, thanks to which a clearer understanding of the functions and responsibilities required by the FCHN has emerged. Proposals for professional and social policies have emerged, as the FCHN's role may be an answer to health problems and a contributor to the construction of social capital, capable of influencing both individual and collective well-being., Methods: A mixed method investigation via a parallel concurrent design to identify the organisational models for the FCHN was conducted across Italy. In this paper, two profiles are discussed - family and community health nursing and FCHN - but each with its different connotations. The former refers to the practice of nursing and the latter to the nursing practitioners working with family and the community., Conclusion: We describe the expected future outcomes for FCHNs as elements of social innovation for the development of a new welfare system.

Introduction: The paper describes the impact on Hospital Admissions of a program targeting the community-dwelling older citizens with social interventions aimed at managing frailty and reducing social isolation., Study Design: The study is quasi-experimental intervention program., Methods: A randomized sample made up by 207 participants (cases) to the Long Live the Elderly program is compared with a cohort of 308 older adults (controls) followed up since 2014 by the University of Tor Vergata. At the enrolment all the participants have been administered a multidimensional questionnaire to assess frailty. After six months, the two groups are compared for the inpatient's admission rate., Results: The percentage of patients who was admitted to the hospital during the first six month of follow up was 9.1% and 8.3% among the controls and the cases respectively. The inpatient's admission rate was higher among the controls (251.6 per 1000 observation/year) than for the cases (167.3). Despite the cases were older than the controls (mean age 83.5, SD±8.1 vs 76.7, SD±7.1; p=0.001), showed a lower percentage of frail/very frail individuals (29.5% vs 33.4%). The multivariate linear regression adjusted for gender, age and frailty showed a reduction of the hospital admission rate associated to the Long Live the Elderly program (p=0.013)., Conclusions: The study suggests the impact on the reduction of acute hospital admission in the first six months of follow up, of a Community-based Program aimed at increasing the social capital of older adults. Further studies with longer follow up are needed to confirm the study results in order to support the hypothesis that the future sustainability of health systems is partially linked to the increase of the social component of community care service.

Purpose: Female entrepreneurship has been part of the political agenda internationally. Public entities should promote entrepreneurship in general, and female entrepreneurship in particular, with dedicated resources and programs. Female entrepreneurs are considered a key asset for developing economic growth. However, women experience much more difficulties than men in opening their own ventures. Relational capital is particularly relevant when it comes to female entrepreneurship. The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors that affect the opening of new ventures and the role of relational capital in female entrepreneurship, taking into consideration the Italian context during the financial crisis. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses a mixed-method approach analyzing data from a regional program to enhance the creation of new companies, trying to understand the issues of potential entrepreneurs in general and women in particular. A single case is then investigated using the characteristics – ambience – organization – sustainability model of micro-entrepreneurship and the network relationship model by Paoloni (2011). Findings: The analysis highlights how women face much more difficulties in starting new ventures concerning their previous experience if their employment condition finds an extended period of inactivity. Additionally, potential female entrepreneurs are more sensitive to the complexity of the initiative, concerning the required investment and the number of employees, compared to male entrepreneurs. Relational capital is a crucial asset in fostering the success of the venture, especially in the start-up phase. Originality/value: The purpose of the study is to contribute to the debate regarding the issues affecting the opening of new companies, as well as the link between relational capital and female enterprises. The paper offers some insights about a program covering a well-sized population during the financial crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The resource-based view (RBV) of the firm has been applied to territories, although academia has not frequently undertaken exploration of RBV applied to clusters in an empirical base. The goal of this paper aims at empirically translating RBV to the territory with a double objective. First, the work seeks to understand which are the cluster's resources and capabilities. Second, the paper evaluates whether a cluster's unique set of resources and capabilities could influence a cluster's performance. Research is applied to leading European ceramic tile clusters located in Spain (Castellon) and Italy (Emilia-Romagna). Comparing clusters in the same industry allows benchmarking and the metrics make more sense. Secondary data and face-to-face semi-structured interviews with managers from the R&D Institutes, institutional agents and Castellon (59) and Emilian (19) firms assess a cluster's resources and capabilities. The employed variables address skilled labour availability, social capital, linkages, business sophistication and network effects. In addition, and through the utilization of financial and productivity data the work analyses whether there are performance differences. Results indicate that clusters have a unique set of resources and capabilities and a certain performance level. On the whole, a cluster's unique set of resources and capabilities matter. The paper offers a methodological approach to tackle empirically the RBV application to clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how care provision takes place in families across countries and generations and what are its implications for the individuals and families involved. Drawing on the experiences of women of Italian origin who have migrated at different times, the paper shows that families are complex and fluid entities capable of adapting to different circumstances, such as geographical dispersal and rapid cultural changes. Rather than being in decline, as some social capital theorists seem to suggest, the paper demonstrates that families are resilient units that continue to perform numerous emotional and practical tasks for the individuals who form them. However, even it is argued that families can be seen as a locus of social capital of different forms, the paper also shows how maintaining family connections and fulfilling family obligations both constrains and empowers the individuals involved in them, especially women who tend to do a bigger share of this type of work. Cet article examine la manière dont les familles se chargent de diverses responsabilités à travers les pays et les générations et étudie ce qui en résulte pour les individus et les familles. A partir des expériences de femmes italiennes qui ont émigré à des époques différentes, l'article démontre que la famille est une entité fluide et complexe capable de s'adapter à des circonstances différentes telles que la dispersion géographique et les changements culturels rapides. Certains théoriciens du capital social soutiennent que la famille est en déclin; cet article démontre qu'au contraire la famille est une entité sociale qui a du ressort et qu'elle continue à remplir de multiples tâches affectives et pratiques pour les individus qui les constituent. Cet article montre comment le maintien ion des liens et l'exécution des obligations familiales à la fois dynamise les individus concernés, surtout des femmes, qui ont tendance à accomplir une part plus importante de ce travail. familles transnationales, capital social, tâches sociales, Italiens, rôle de la femme et generation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the link between organic and local food products purchasing as pro-environmental behaviours, and "other-regarding preferences", such as altruism, intrinsic motivation and self-image, which is measured through individuals' environmental concerns, volunteering, participation in ecological associations and pro-social behaviours. Using the Italian data from the Multipurpose survey on households "Aspects of daily life" conducted in 2019, and bivariate probit models, this paper shows that environmental egoistic and altruistic concerns, volunteering in formal organizations and participation in ecological associations are positively correlated with the purchase of more organic and local food products. Higher pro-social behaviours correlate positively with the purchase of more local products and negatively with the purchase of more organic products. Furthermore, higher education and better household economic conditions are strongly correlated with the purchase of more organic products, while participation in cultural activities is positively associated with the purchase of more organic and local food products. • We study the role of other-regarding preferences in the purchase of organic and local food products in Italy. • We use a bivariate probit model on a representative sample of Italian households. • Altruistic and intrinsic motivations matter in purchasing organic and local food products. • Self-image influences positively local food purchasing and negatively organic food consumption. • Budget constraints matter more for organic food consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Two Homelands / Dve Domovini is the property of Scientific Research Centre of Slovenian Academy of Sciences & Arts and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper studies the relationship between environmental concern and household separate waste collection, controlling for social capital, in Italy in the year 1998 when policy makers started to raise awareness of the importance of waste prevention, disposal and recycling. At the time, the public's sensitivity and attitude to waste issues were mainly influenced by their own lifestyles. We consider five separate waste collections, namely paper, plastic, glass, aluminium and food waste, to be taken to the relevant roadside containers. It focuses on three types of environmental concerns, classified as egoistic, altruistic and biospheric, and identifies five measures of general environmental issues able to match the different types of concerns considered. It also controls for three types of social relations: bonding, bridging and linking social capital. We use the dataset from the Multipurpose Household Survey, conducted by the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), and five probit models to shape the number of separate waste collections. The results show that greater concern for waste production and disposal, pollution, climate change, resource depletion and alteration of environmental heritage is related to a higher likelihood of doing household waste recycling. Nonetheless, for the highest number of separate waste collections, the magnitude of the marginal effect of environmental concern variables decreases, showing the relevance of marginal costs in recycling behaviour. Finally, bridging social capital is the only social capital positively correlated with all five separate waste collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Nowadays, the agri-food sector is facing several challenges due to a rapid technological change which calls for knowledge sharing (KS) practices to enhance businesses' performance. This has spurred a collaborative approach and the creation of networks. Since there still is a paucity of research on the quality degree of KS, the purpose of this study is to offer an empirical research on the quality degree of KS by exploring outcome expectations and social exchange dimensions. Theoretically, it is examined by a double lens of social capital and social cognitive theory. Design/methodology/approach: This study offers an empirical analysis of 313 directors of 11 "consortia" in the agri-food sector in Italy by using the fuzzy expert system. The model allows to aggregate multi criteria dimensions of KS and rates its quality. Findings: As resulted, the quality degree of KS is influenced by outcome expectations – personal and community expectations – and three forms of dimensions of social exchange: structural, relational and cognitive. The paper ends with a discussion of research findings, its limitations and implications. Originality/value: As there is still a paucity of research on the determinants of quality degree of KS, the research adopts a double lens of social capital and social cognitive theories to explore what are these determinants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The macroeconomic effects of social capital are typically studied using data at country, region or, at most, province level of aggregation. However, social capital is defined by connections among agents who know each other and its effects, if any, should be detected at a more detailed level of spatial aggregation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study using longitudinal municipality-level data to investigate the causal link between social capital and growth. We extend earlier research by accounting for the endogeneity of all the covariates as well as unobserved heterogeneity. The evidence suggests that social capital has been a source of growth inequality in Italy between 1951 and 2001. The causal effect of social capital on growth is positive, on average, and stronger in the Centre-North of Italy. In addition, it was higher in the 1950s. The paper also presents local estimates of the growth return to social capital, which are of interest for specific sub-populations of municipalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we investigate the relationship between social capital and cheating behaviour in standardized tests. Given the low-stakes nature of these tests, we interpret the widespread presence of cheating as a signal of low trust towards central education authorities and as lack of respect for the rule of law. We find that cheating is negatively correlated to several social capital proxies in the local environment where a school is located. We also distinguish between different dimensions of social capital: contrasting universalistic and particularistic social values, cheating appears to be negatively correlated only to measures of universalistic social values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The level of accessibility to basic services is an important issue because it is closely related to social inclusion and social capital, key aspects of societal well-being. There is a large and growing literature on access to health care in an era of dwindling public resources due to recent economic downturns. Health care is an essential service, but it is not the only basic service. The literature on access to basic services including, but not limited to, health care is relatively small. The paper aims at contributing to the literature by providing a new index to measure and monitor household accessibility to basic services. A study of Italian regions is presented. It is shown that northern regions have more accessible basic services than central, southern and island regions. A longitudinal comparison has been performed. The results are very worrying because show that policy makers have failed in reducing regional (and in particular north-south) disparities in basic service accessibility. Measuring and monitoring the level of accessibility is central for an adequate provision of basic services and for exploring how the delivery of basic services in the most problematic regions can be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More advanced resources needed to provide a service portfolio that responds to the rapid growth of an ageing population is a concern for many governments in developed countries. This paper explores the convergent insights of three conceptual frameworks to identify where age-aware e-Government is more likely to be designed effectively. It shows how the social and relational capital of the Italian "industrial districts" make them ideal settings, receptive to the implementation of age aware e-Government services, thanks to both the innovative mindset of the business community and their rich social capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large body of literature has argued that social capital (i.e. ‘good culture’) reduces transaction costs and boosts investment by households and firms. It probably also reduces systemic risk, so that the choice of becoming an entrepreneur becomes less risky and more profitable. In this paper I test this hypothesis on a set of Italian cities. In particular, I present some econometric evidence on the correlation between social capital and entrepreneurship. To tackle the issue of endogeneity I use instruments related to the institutional past of the cities in my sample, finding support for the hypothesis that social capital is important for entrepreneurship, although my results are difficult to generalize to other contexts, given the specificity of Italy in terms of cultural heterogeneity. RÉSUMÉ Une grande partie des communications et de la littérature soutient que le capital social (la « bonne culture ») réduit les coûts des transactions et encourage les investissements par les foyers et les entreprises. De même, il permet probablement de réduire le risque systémique, de sorte que la décision de devenir un entrepreneur devient à la fois moins risquée et plus rentable. Dans la présente communication, je mets cette hypothèse à l’épreuve dans un certain nombre de villes d'Italie. En particulier, je présente certaines données économétriques sur la corrélation entre le capital social et l'entreprenariat. Pour résoudre le problème de l'endogénéité, j'utilise des instruments portant sur le passé institutionnel des villes de mon échantillon, et de trouve des éléments à l'appui de mon hypothèse, d'après laquelle le capital social est important pour l'entreprenariat, bien que les résultats obtenus soient difficiles à généraliser dans d'autres contextes, en raison de la spécificité de l'Italie sur le plan de l'hétérogénéité culturelle. EXTRACTO Gran cantidad de bibliografía ha debatido que el capital social (es decir, ‘buena cultura’) reduce los costes de las transacciones y estimula la inversión por parte de particulares y empresas. Probablemente, también reduce el riesgo sistémico, de modo que la elección de ser empresario implica un menor riesgo y es más rentable. En este estudio, ensayo esta hipótesis en un grupo de ciudades italianas. En particular, presento cierta evidencia econométrica sobre la correlación entre el capital social y el espíritu empresarial. Para tratar la cuestión de endogeneidad empleo instrumentos relacionados con el pasado institucional de las ciudades de mi muestra, encontrando apoyo para la hipótesis de que el capital social es importante para el espíritu empresarial; aunque mis resultados son difíciles de generalizar en otros contextos, debido a las particularidades de Italia en cuanto a heterogeneidad cultural. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the influence of a country's transnational social capital - defined as the shared customary values and beliefs of emigrant communities - on its external transactions. It uses Italy's emigrant associations abroad as a proxy of transnational social capital and measures its effects on Italy's bilateral FDI. Our results are that the associative activity of emigrants, which partly dates far back into the past, positively and strongly affects the Italian bilateral FDI, especially concerning the countries hosting the older associations and the FDI into Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses Italian interregional migration flows. The approach taken is to decompose labour mobility flows into short distance and long distance migration and to model the effects of economic variables, social capital and quality of life variables, and amenity variables, on the mobility behaviour of individuals. We estimate these different types of migration flows using a negative binomial model, augmented with instruments to control for potential endogeneity issues. Our findings demonstrate that long distance migration reflects a disequilibrium model of migration whereas short distance migration largely reflects an equilibrium model of migration. As such, attempts to model interregional migration in general will be mis-specified as the simultaneously-operating underlying mobility systems are quite different in nature. Migration eloignee et rapprochee en Italie : role de facteurs economiques, sociaux et environnementaux Resume La presente communication analyse les flux migratoires interregionaux en Italie. Le principe adopte consiste a decomposer les flux de mobilite de la main-d'æuvre en migrations rapprochee et migration eloignee, puis de modeliser les effets de variables economiques, de variables propres au capital social et a la qualite de vie, et de variables sur le plan de l'agrement sur le comportement de la mobilite des particuliers. Nous effectuons une estimation de ces differents types de flux migratoires en utilisant un modele binomial negatif, renforce par des instruments pour le controle de questions d'endogeneite potentielles. Nos conclusions demontrent que la migration eloignee reflete un modele de desequilibre de la migration, alors que la migration rapprochee reflete en grand partie un modele desequilibre de la migration. De cette facon, toutes tentatives de modelisation de migrations interregionales seront specifiees de facon erronee, du fait de la nature differente des systemes de mobilite sous-jacents agissant simultanement. La migracion de larga y corta distancia en Italia: el papel de las caracteristicas economicas, sociales y ambientales Resumen En este trabajo se analizan los flujos migratorios interregionales de Italia. El metodo adoptado es la descomposicion de los flujos de movilidad laboral en migracion de corta y migracion de larga distancia, y modelar los efectos de las variables economicas, las variables de capital social y de calidad de vida, y las variables de bienestar, con base en el comportamiento de la movilidad de los individuos. Estimamos estos tipos de flujos migratorios diferentes a traves de un modelo binomial negativo, ampliado con instrumentos que permiten controlar los posibles problemas de endogeneidad. Nuestras conclusiones demuestran que la migracion de larga distancia refleja un modelo desequilibrado de migracion, mientras que la migracion de corta distancia refleja en gran medida un modelo equilibrado de migracion. Como tal, los intentos para modelar la migracion interregional, en terminos generales, seran tergiversados dado que los sistemas de movilidad subyacentes que funcionan simultaneamente son de naturaleza bastante diferente. [image omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the international level, economic, political and civil society institutions have been recently resorting to social partnerships to build networks with several social actors. Partnerships often involve public agencies, private firms and non profit organizations into local development policies. Strengthening the societal role of civil society actors, they also promote the so-called subsidiary practices. Moreover, in Italy there are normative and organizational limits for their implementation. In this perspective, partnerships should become an operative arrangement of welfare society, aiming to govern relations between social actors (market organizations, political organizations and civil society organizations) involved in generalized actions of social policies, especially at the local level. The paper introduces and discusses the results of two qualitative case studies concerning social partnerships established in Lombardia, also by local community foundations, assuming that they are "intermediary trustee". The partnerships case studies test if, and how, the community foundations produce and/or increase social capital of a local community collaborating with other partners. The paper focuses on inter-organizational trust as an important issue for partnership functioning, trying togive an interpretation of its emergence moving from the rational choice and the gift paradigms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the suitability of the community cooperatives (CC) model for the implementation of renewable energy communities (REC), as prescribed by art. 22 of EU Directive 2018/2001, and temporarily transposed into the Italian law by art. 42-bis of the Law Decree n. 162/2019. The hypothesis explored analyses the potential synergies between RECs and CC, based on their similarities. In particular, the article takes into consideration: the actors involved in both the RECs and the CCs; the geographical scope in which they develop, and the purposes that these two legal forms intended to achieve. Through a literature review and the analysis of EU, national and regional legislations, the paper aims at (1) clarifying the main features of RECs and the CCs in Italy; (2) exploring the main differences between CCs and the other legal forms of cooperative (e.g., mutual cooperative, cooperative benefit, etc.) and assessing the extent to which CCs are more suitable to implement renewable energy communities. As a result of the literature and regulatory review, several similarities between CCs and RECs can be detected, particularly, in reference to the strategic valorization of the cooperation between citizens and the local public entities. These similarities allow the authors to provisionally conclude that, in Italy, CCs may be adopted as a tool to implement RECs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a surprising gap in the economic literature on social capital. First, we lack studies addressing the effects of social capital on those facets of development that can contribute in making growth more sustainable in the long run, like, for example, human development and social cohesion. Second, it is still unclear what type of networks may exert a positive effect on the different dimensions of development. In particular, the literature has not yet provided a rigorous assessment of the role of strong family ties, that are generally referred to as a form of bonding social capital causing backwardness. This paper investigates the relationship between the three types of social capital so far identified by the literature (i.e. bonding, bridging and linking), and the “quality” of economic development, as expressed by human development and an index of social well-being summarizing the state of health of urban ecosystems, public services, gender equality, and labour markets. The empirical analysis is articulated in two stages carried out by means of a multivariate analysis and of a structural equations models analysis. The results suggest that the linking social capital shaped by voluntary organizations has significantly positive effect on human development, but is irrelevant for social well-being. The bonding social capital shaped by strong family ties negatively affects human development, but significantly fosters the quality of life, mainly through a reduction of workers' precariousness. The bridging social capital of weak ties connecting friends and acquaintances follows the pattern of bonding social capital: it is reinforced by strong family ties and has significantly negative effect on human development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the pioneering study by Banfield, the North‐South gap in Italian social capital has been considered by international scholars as an example of how cultural diversity within a country can generate different developmental outcomes. Most studies, however, suffer from limited external validity and measurement error. This paper exploits a new and representative online lab‐experiment to assess social‐capital patterns in Italy. Unlike previous experiments, we do not inform participants about the geographic origins of their counterparts. This feature allows us to assess the North‐South gap in universal, as opposed to parochial, behavior. Results suggest that Southerners and Northerners do not systematically differ in generalized prosocial preferences. Only trustworthiness is higher among. Northerners, while they are statistically similar to Southerners in many other economic preferences such as cooperation, trust, expected trustworthiness, altruism, and risk tolerance. We also show that the gap in trustworthiness stems from the lower reciprocity of Southerners in response to large transfers, and it is characterized by the intergenerational transmission of norms. Possible policy implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the first empirical assessment of the causal relationship between social capital and health in Italy. The analysis draws on the 2000 wave of the Multipurpose Survey on Household conducted by the Italian Institute of Statistics on a representative sample of the population (n=46,868). Our measure of social capital is the frequency of meetings with friends. Based on IV and bivariate probit estimates, we find that individuals who meet friends every day or more time times a week are approximately 11-16% more likely to report good health., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Social participation is considered not only an important resource for society, but also an indicator of social capital. Thus, bearing in mind these features, this paper analyses the trend of the associative participation in Italy. The data used come from different international surveys, such as Eurobarometer, ESS and EVS, and also data from the Italian survey Istat ("Aspects of daily life"). Particular attention is paid to people who are more than 50 years old in the SHARE survey. The results confirm previous studies: a reduction of participation in trade union and political party membership, and a stable situation with regard to the participation in voluntary associations. The conclusions point out some possible pathways to follow in order to develop the analysis of the social participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The paper deals with one of the main traits of Italian political culture: distrust and low levels of civicness, as defined and measured by Robert Putnam. Assuming political culture as an independent variable, we aim to draw an updated map of social capital in Italy at regional level using two different measures. The first is an index builds on hard data (2008-2013) concerning rates of blood donors, electoral participation, volunteering, newspaper readerships. The second measure is the general trust's variable collected by an unusual large sample. Both measures consistently show the old cleavage between Northern and Southern regions to be still very deep. In the seventies and eighties of the past century, political scientists and sociologists were questioning whether there were three, four or five Italies. Our updated indicators, based on hard and self-reported data, suggest that Northern and Central regions show higher levels of social capital than Southern ones. We conclude underlining that the regional civic gap is larger than the Gdp gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]