Search

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the difference between formal and real school autonomy in the Italian educational system. The Italian case is characterised by low levels of school autonomy. It is interesting to consider whether heterogeneity of patterns is possible in this context. A description of this heterogeneity is provided through archetypes. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology is a qualitative survey conducted among school principals. A non-standardised questionnaire was completed by 35 principals. The collected data were examined in accordance with the framework dimensions (different features of school autonomy) and three archetypes were identified. Findings: The three archetypes of schools identified are: first, entrepreneurial (the strategies followed and the tools used are broader than those that the law prescribes); second, chaotic (different actors express their opinions but, ultimately, there is no shared decision at the school level); and third, bureaucratic (the school's principal thinks that nothing can be done without legal prescription). Originality/value: Through a new case (the Italian educational system), this paper contributes to the stream of literature on the disconnect between formal and real school autonomy. This paper can help policy makers to improve understanding of the characteristics and internal heterogeneity of the educational system. (Contains 2 figures, 3 tables, and 1 note.)

The aim of this article is to analyse the effect of introducing voucher schemes in higher education context. In the first part, the main economic characteristics of educational vouchers are discussed, in order to identify their expected effects on efficiency and equity in tertiary education. The second part contains the results of a case study that documents the experience gained at the University of Bologna between 2003/04 and 2005/06. The results suggest that the main effects of vouchers are on (1) the effectiveness of public support, and (2) course prices (fees). (Contains 3 figures, 5 tables, and 6 notes.)

South Italy is characterised by a semi-arid climate with scarce rain and high evaporative demand. Since climate change could worsen this condition, the need to optimise water resources in this area is crucial. In citrus cultivation, which involves one of the most important crops bred in Southern Italy, and more generally in Mediterranean regions, deficit irrigation strategies are implemented in order to cope with limited resource availability. On this basis, knowledge on how the territorial distribution of citrus would change in relation to these strategies represents valuable information for stakeholders. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the probability of the presence of citrus in Sicily based on changes in the percentage of water deficit in order to identify and analyse change in the surface area as well as the location of the crop. The methodology was based on the application of species distribution models (SDM) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to the case study of the province of Syracuse in Sicily. Different geostatistical and machine learning models were applied based on bioclimatic variables measured over three decades, a Digital Terrain Model and irrigation. Assessment of the outcomes was carried out using classification evaluation metrics. The analysis of the outcomes showed that uncorrelated predictor layers mainly included water input that most affected the probability of the presence of citrus fruits. Moreover, GIS analyses showed that deficit irrigation strategies would generate an overall reduction of cultivation surfaces in the territory (e.g., for the Random Forest model the surface reduction was equal to 41.15%) and a decrease of citrus presence in southern areas of the considered territory. In this area, climate conditions are less favourable in terms of temperature and precipitation; thus, these analyses provide useful information for decision support tools in agriculture and land use policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The grape pomace (GP) is an important by-product of winemaking, accounting for about 13-25% of the grapes processed. The aim of this work was to investigate the nutritional and antioxidant composition of GP obtained from Nero d'Avola (NA) grape, one of the most important indigenous varieties in Italy, in order to verify application in nutraceutics. Seeds and skin of the GP were studied for their nutritional and antioxidants composition, fatty acid and polyphenols profile, bioactives properties in vitro, by gravimetric, spectrophotometric and chromatographic techniques. The results showed that NAGP seeds are rich in the beneficial polyunsaturated fatty acids and that the polyphenols extracted from the GP skin present a strong antiradical and antiproliferative activity, attested also in vitro, in human skin fibroblast (HS-68) and in hepatoma cell line (Hep-G2). Obtained results underline the possibility to employ this residual biomass for nutraceuticals application, contributing also to increase the sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper estimates the standard cost in Italian regional public rail passenger transport services (LPTR), depending on service characteristics. The results highlight the crucial role of: number of seats per ride, commercial speed, service size and length of rail tracks. The model also shows the positive link between investment in rolling stock and the unit cost of the service. Finally, based on the empirical evidence, we propose regulatory adjustments to accomplish policy targets regarding the fair allocation of public LPTR funds to Regions and Local Authorities and a more efficient use of (scarce) local and national public resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the 2008 global financial crisis, many governments introduced spending reviews (SRs). The paper provides a valuable definition of the concept of the SR by proposing a taxonomy of the main organizational and methodological aspects involved in the SR process. The paper identifies two different SR models, which feature alternative approaches to cutting back spending. The authors highlight some important considerations when looking to make sustainable and sensible cuts in spending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although many authors have analysed the role and the efficiency of science parks, only a few contributions have analysed national science park systems (SPSs) as a whole. Because of the lack of data, evidence regarding the performance of science parks in a nation is very limited and there is a lack of comparisons between different systems. This paper aims to introduce a simple framework to analyse SPSs and to show its use for comparing the state of development and the main differences of two or more SPSs. Its application to the Italian and Spanish systems shows that science parks play a more important role in Spain than in Italy. The main causes of these differences are argued to be (i) the presence of a set of coherent and particular policies which favour science parks in Spain and (ii) the internal factors of the Spanish science park system, including business models of the science parks and the role of the national association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the difference between formal and real school autonomy in the Italian educational system. The Italian case is characterised by low levels of school autonomy. It is interesting to consider whether heterogeneity of patterns is possible in this context. A description of this heterogeneity is provided through archetypes. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology is a qualitative survey conducted among school principals. A non-standardised questionnaire was completed by 35 principals. The collected data were examined in accordance with the framework dimensions (different features of school autonomy) and three archetypes were identified. Findings – The three archetypes of schools identified are: first, entrepreneurial (the strategies followed and the tools used are broader than those that the law prescribes); second, chaotic (different actors express their opinions but, ultimately, there is no shared decision at the school level); and third, bureaucratic (the school's principal thinks that nothing can be done without legal prescription). Originality/value – Through a new case (the Italian educational system), this paper contributes to the stream of literature on the disconnect between formal and real school autonomy. This paper can help policy makers to improve understanding of the characteristics and internal heterogeneity of the educational system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors reflect on change in the accounting systems of public universities and colleges in Italy. The authors' states that the innovation in the Italian public higher education system is needed to compare the economic situation of public universities. Adoption of the accrual accounting system by the universities has been discussed and it is expected that the new system will reduce the problems related to balance sheets.

We present a regression model for estimating unit standard costs for the Italian local public bus transport services. We account for quantitative and qualitative characteristics, which contribute to explain the variability of the cost structure. Economic and transport data have been collected from companies producing more than 500 million of bus-kilometers. We find that commercial speed is the most important cost driver, while economies of scale are low and only present in small size services. Results prove a positive correlation between investments in bus fleet and the cost incurred in service provision. Finally, we show how the regression model can be augmented with policy targets in order to fairly allocate among Italian Regions the public funds yearly earmarked to the local public transport sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]