Party System Change in Italy: Politicising the EU and the Rise of Eccentric Parties

Using expert survey data covering the 2001–13 period, this article investigates the changing shape and structure of the Italian policy space over time, as well as parties’ shifting policy positions. Our results show the emergence of a distinct pro-/anti-EU (European Union) dimension structuring party competition and a change in the meaning of EU related attitudes. The increasing importance of the pro-/anti-EU dimension is due to the entry of brand new parties in 2013. Our findings also speak to the Euroscepticism literature, as they question the hypothesis according to which Euroscepticism is confined to peripheral parties located at the extremes on the left–right scale.     

The activities of university knowledge transfer offices: towards the third mission in Italy

Establishing deeper engagement with industry and society has recently become a key concern of universities. To pursue this goal, universities—as well as other public research organizations—have started to reorganize internal resources, to redefine their activities and policies, and to redesign their overall knowledge transfer (KT) business models. As a consequence, in several countries a wide heterogeneity exists in the types of KT models adopted and in the outcomes arising from KT activities. By performing a cluster analysis and a multinomial logit regression on an extensive dataset that almost covers the entire population of Italian universities, in this study we analyze (1) whether models of KT characterized by a broader engagement with society are gradually substituting models more focused on technology commercialization, and (2) which factors related to the availability of resources and universities’ strategic intention better explain existing differences. Insights from the study might help university managers to define the most appropriate actions to fully undertake the implementation of the university third mission.     

Does counterfeiting benefit genuine manufacturer? The role of production costs

A monopolist sells a luxury genuine product which can be illegally copied and sold by a competitive fringe of counterfeiters. Fines imposed on caught counterfeiters are pocketed by the genuine firm. We prove that if production costs are low, then the genuine manufacturer would lobbying for high penalties so that counterfeiters should be thrown out of the market. In this case, the presence of counterfeiters does not provide any benefit to the producer of the original product. Whenever the production cost is neither too high nor too low, the optimal fine guarantees a positive demand for the genuine product as well as for the fake; the genuine producer is better off than in a world without counterfeiters. If production costs are too high, the genuine firm has no more incentive to produce. Its remaining goal is to collect penalty money from counterfeiters. Again, the presence of counterfeiters provides a benefit to the genuine manufacturer. Finally, a comparison between full protection and null protection policies is performed.     

Does corporate social responsibility cushion unethical brand behavior? Insights from chocolate confectionery

Food and agribusiness companies face increasing scrutiny of their corporate social responsibilities (CSRs) due to the impacts of their business activities on the environment and in society. In particular, the procurement practices of some companies in the commercial food industry have been linked to unsustainable farming, deforestation, and loss of biodiversity. This study investigates the extent to which a positive CSR reputation influences consumers' evaluations of a company and its new products following brand misconduct involving unethical procurement of palm oil. The results of an experiment revealed that a positive CSR reputation prior to the misconduct enhanced consumers' evaluations of the company and their support for its new products, thereby facilitating its recovery. These findings extend understanding of the potential insurance afforded by a positive CSR reputation and its halo effect in situations of brand misconduct in the food industry, in this case where a brand has failed to meet consumers' expectations of its obligations to avoid commercial activities that threaten the natural environment.     

Tax relief,tax wedge and regional employment: evidence from Italy

In this paper I overview the legislative framework, referred to the Italian policies of tax relief on labour income and Fiscalizzazione, then I investigate the impact of the tax wedge on regional employment in Italy. The results show a negative effect, especially in the northern regions, due to the presence of a developed decentralized bargaining level that may lead to mechanisms of real wage resistance with negative consequences on employment, not only in the short term. The evidence suggests a differentiated effect not only among regions but also among sectors that might suggests to focus these policies on regions and sectors where the effect of the tax wedge on employment is greater, other than to promote the development of a second-level bargaining even in the South that could take into account local labour productivity changes.     

An analysis of well-being in urban Nigeria

Improving the well-being of Nigerians is the aim of Nigeria Vision 20:2020, the key development policy document in Nigeria. However, as well-being is an emerging and contested concept, this article explores how the well-being of urban citizens is understood in Nigeria, and identifies key trends affecting urban well-being as expressed by a selection of strategic elite stakeholders in Nigerian society. These included senior civil servants and politicians, and various senior members of civil society groups and academia. The analysis also reveals characteristics underpinning policies for urban well-being.     

ISIS in Mosul and Sirte: Differences and similarities

Today, ISIS is a serious security threats in the Mediterranean area; it is active or controls areas in the Middle East (Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey) and in North Africa (Libya, Tunisia and Sinai). Media reports and several research papers seem to refer to ISIS as a group that operates indiscriminately in these areas and regions using the same political, military, social, and economic pattern. However, looking closely at some of the theatres of war the situations appears different. Taking into account two case studies, Iraq and Libya, it is possible to see how different social, economic, and political conditions have influenced the ability of ISIS to fight and to rule, and consequently its ability to “remaining and expanding”. The comparison between the longer and more linked to social fabric operations in Iraq and the shorter and more alien to social fabric operations in Libya will shed light on weaknesses and strength of ISIS, its future developments, and potentially on operations of other militias.