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This paper investigates the influence of information and communication technologies (ICT) on the efficiency in attracting visitors of Italian museums. Notwithstanding the extensive literature on museum performance measurement, the analysis of the role of technological innovation is relatively neglected. As a first attempt to fill this lacuna, this study presents a two-stage analysis of a novel sample of Italian state-owned museums built by merging information drawn from different sources. In the first stage, we use bootstrapped Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to measure the efficiency of museums. In the second stage, we use a bootstrap truncated regression approach to test the extent to which different forms of ICT affect museum efficiency. We distinguish the ICT investments into 'in situ' and online services, since the former improve the visitors' experience on site, while the latter can prepare for the visit or, even, be a substitute of the visit. The results reveal that the use of ICT is generally associated with better performances but 'in situ' services show to play a major role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there is a rich tradition of research into the labour market for artists, studies of the labour market for designers have only recently come on stream. This paper examines the factors affecting design graduates' work choices, and specifically the proportion of time they are able or willing to spend working in the field they were educated. Based on a survey of design graduates in the Netherlands, we explore the relative importance of three types of determinants (economic, work-related and socio-demographic) that influence design graduates' work choices. We find that next to degree-related income, the application of creative skills outside the field of study and job satisfaction play a role. Additionally, younger and older design graduates combine work in different ways and for different reasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper assesses the evolution of efficiency of Italian public universities for the period 2000–2010. It aims at investigating whether their levels of efficiency showed signs of convergence, and if the well-known disparity between northern and southern regions decreased. For this purpose, we use a refinement of data envelopment analysis, namely window analysis, which allows for measuring efficiency in cross-sectional and time-varying data. We find that the efficiency of most universities registered only marginal changes in the period, although a notable re-ranking occurred. However, changes in the management of universities, consequential to the reform processes, did not affect the long-run tendencies, such as the persisting difference in performance between north and south. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]