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Smaller towns in rural regions are important anchors for regional development, but they are not usually considered particularly innovative and open to new ideas. This paper asks how the network of small and medium-sized towns, Cittaslow, could establish slowing down as something new in local development. Against the theoretical background of sociological innovation research, an analytical framework of social innovation is elaborated to analyse Cittaslow using four case studies: two German and two Italian towns. Based on fieldwork in the four towns, this paper shows that discourse and communication on slowing down, local projects labelled as slow and new cooperation structures go hand in hand. This leads to the conclusion that new ways of local development need a communicative umbrella under which projects and stakeholders come together. The paper furthermore demonstrates that the analytical framework, with its triad of semantics, pragmatics and grammar, is extremely helpful for analysing spatial development and has the potential to be adapted as a tool for policy strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explains the extent to which the export-led growth strategies deployed in Germany and Italy turn out to be self-defeating. The problem lies in the impact of those strategies on the banking systems of the two countries. The German banks become more international; the Italian banks become more locally oriented. In turn, these changes create tensions that cannot be reconciled easily within the institutional framework that made the export-led growth model successful in the first place. The paper also seeks to explain why tensions in export-led growth models today do not always resemble those it experienced in the past – and it examines what are the implications both for how the two countries responded to the economic and financial crisis and how they are responding to the economic consequences of the novel coronavirus pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy ideas are often crafted in international fora, such as international organisations, multilateral institutions, and high-level summits. However, whether and how ideas will eventually inform policymakers at the domestic level remains an understudied subject. This paper contributes to this debate by tracing the domestic consolidation and eventual erosion of ‘Crisis Management’, a policy paradigm that emerged after the end of the Cold War and became dominant among NATO members in the 2010s. We investigate Germany and Italy as two case studies that followed two distinct trajectories. Policy elites suddenly adopted the paradigm in Italy and built a broad consensus on it. In Germany, crisis management has emerged lately and remains contested, as the territorial defense has maintained legitimacy among elites. Understanding the mechanisms underpinning such trajectories is the key to uncovering whether a consensus on a new version of territorial defense as a dominant paradigm will consolidate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the experiences of children of immigrants coming to Italy from Turkey. It does so by using in-depth interviews and looking at how they conceptualize their sense of belonging to their home country and the transnational ties that they maintain in relation to their parents' experience. The participants in this research grew up in families whose intention was not to remain in Italy but to continue their journey to Germany. Like their parents, the second-generation members also want to build their lives in Germany, however, the meaning attributed to this place is very different. For these young people, Germany and its diasporas offer a source of identity. Put otherwise, in addition to what Germany can offer in terms of services and economic opportunities, they are also attracted to what diasporas can offer: being Turks and Kurds in Germany. By allowing them to reconnect with the cultural memories of their homeland and enjoy the opportunities and rights offered by a developed country, Germany becomes a diasporic homeland in which to plan a future, a place where, to quote one of them, "one feels at home in the heart of Europe". The idea of a homeland, then, is not only transformed – it is duplicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children and young people who come into conflict with the law tend to be disengaged with education and learning. This paper reports on research from an EU Erasmus+ project in Spain, Italy, Germany and the UK. The research focused on the impact of Authentic Inquiry (AI) on learners in custodial or youth justice settings and the impact on educators and their pedagogy. Quantitative data (from 82 educators and 73 young people), demonstrated the young people could be re-engaged with education and learning as evidenced in the change in Learning Power profiles. Qualitative data (from 16 educators and 14 young people) showed the greatest impact to be on the emotional component of engagement. The AI had an impact xon educators as learners by improved Learning Power profiles and on their pedagogical approach. Ways to embed the approach into education in youth justice settings in the different country contexts are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What explains regulators’ preferences concerning the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM)? The paper answers this question by providing an alternative account of the creation of the SSM using an institutionalist perspective. It is argued that the creation of the SSM does not simply reflect the material interests of governments and domestic financial firms, but that regulators’ positions were also significantly affected by the institutional environment in which they operated. Two characteristics of domestic supervisory governance are identified: the institutional responsibilities of banking regulators (microprudential and/or macroprudential) and the fragmentation of supervisory and monetary policies. The empirical analysis demonstrates the relevance of these factors for shaping regulators’ preferences both within and across countries. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper studies the optimization of the distribution planning process in a supply chain composed of set of production plants, a set of regional warehouses and a set of retail customers. There are several available distribution strategies, based on direct shipping from the production plants and indirect shipping through the regional warehouses. A mixed integer linear programming model is formulated to ensure an optimal replenishment of the regional warehouses and an optimal choice of the distribution strategies to satisfy the demand of the customers over a certain time horizon. Computational results are obtained in the real case of a food supply chain of an Italian subsidiary of a German group, encompassing two production plants located in Germany and two regional warehouses located in Italy, which deliver 19 products to 200 retail customers located in Italy. We prove that our solutions are effective and efficiently computed, with an average optimality gap of 4.43% and found using a time limit of 4 min. A comparison is made with an optimized version of the rule of thumb applied by the company, to provide managerial insights on the choice of the distribution strategies. Finally, we show that our solution method is effective when it is applied to more complex logistic networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ideology analyses play an important role in Cultural Discourse Studies because they investigate complex meaning production within various political systems and power structures. The notion of ideology can be analysed in different dimensions. Whereas Marx and Engels proposed a negative as well as a positive conception of ideology, sociologists such as Mannheim understood ideologies as sets of ideas and general world views. Some scholars in Discourse Studies seem to follow a conception of ideology that is located in-between Mannheim's conception and Marx's negative idea of 'false consciousness'. In this paper we define ideology as a political discourse practice devoted to exerting power and influence. Following Marx's positive notion, ideology is seen as a modality that regulates the relationship between the subject and a specific system of knowledge related to political action. Here, ideology refers to discourses as knowledge/ power regimes where the political-power aspect is suppressed through the subjectivation process itself. Following Gramsci, Foucault and Lacan, our theoretical framework helps us to analyse ideological discourse practices as different modalities of subjectivation. We propose three types of ideological subjectivation: oppressive forms, normalizing forms and resisting forms. Finally, these forms are illustrated with examples from economic expert discourses from Italy and Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on research undertaken as part of the EU funded EPPIC project, this paper aims to update and elaborate on the relationship between drug use and offending behaviours by exploring variations within a cross-national sample of drug-experienced young people in touch with criminal justice systems. Adopting a trajectory-based approach, interviews were undertaken with 198 young people aged 15–25 in six European countries (Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Poland, and UK). Data were analysed by applying the Bennett and Holloway categorization of the drugs-crime link, with a focus on the concept of social exclusion as developed by Seddon. Three main types of mechanisms (economic, pharmaceutical, and lifestyles) are used to interpret the data, showing how the relationship between drugs and offending can vary according to type of substances and over time. Furthermore, it can be associated with very different degrees of social exclusion and needs. The results suggest that while economic inequalities still play key roles in explaining drug use and offending, both behaviours can originate from a state of relative deprivation, resulting from the contradictions inherent in 'bulimic societies' that raise aspirations and desires while providing young people scarce opportunities for self-realisation and social recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Input-Output analysis, and the subsystem approach in particular, have been widely used in the literature to assess the nature and process of structural change of national economies, with particular reference to deindustrialization and tertiarization processes, as well as to the evolution of the level of centrality of manufacturing in GDP growth. Our paper suggests a methodology to separate, within the subsystems, direct inputs from indirect inputs, which depend on the Input-Output production function and the general organization of the economic system respectively. We provide an example of the application of such methodology to the manufacturing subsystems in Germany and Italy over the period 2000–2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population aging is exacerbating the loss of competences in the workforce and simultaneously young people neither in employment nor in education and training (NEETs) are struggling to be reengaged in employment. These issues, which are deemed priorities for the European policy agenda, could be addressed by triggering active aging dimensions, valuing and exploiting older adult entrepreneurs' knowledge for enhancing youngsters' entrepreneurial attitudes, through mentoring. This paper reports the results of a study based on an intergenerational learning program, carried out in 2018 in Germany, Italy and Slovenia. The study was aimed at developing and testing one training on mentoring addressing 41 older adult entrepreneurs (55 and over), and two intergenerational learning trainings aiming at boosting entrepreneurial competences of 33 NEETs (aged 18–29). The impact of the program on older adult entrepreneurs and NEETs was assessed through a pre and post-evaluation using qualitative and quantitative tools. Findings at country level were treated as national case-studies and then the latter were compared by considering them as a multiple embedded case-study. Results indicated that, to different extent in the study countries, mentors learned and enhanced mentoring competences, e.g. active listening and the capability of orienting, improved well-being and self-esteem, social inclusion and active aging attitude. Moreover, NEETs acquired entrepreneurial and socio-relational competences by benefiting from the full exploitation of mentors' know-how and the trust relationship with them. Companies, trade unions, educational and voluntary organizations should cooperate to adopt intergenerational learning programs as good practices for older adults and NEETs' lifelong learning promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper employs multivariate panel cointegration techniques to re-examine the empirical relationship between bilateral real exchange rates and real interest rates. The results from a panel of 1470 quarterly observations on Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, and USA over the period 1977 to 1994 indicate the absence of any long-run relationship between the two variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic links between stock market indices are analyzed in a GARCH-M framework, using daily data from France, Germany, Italy and the USA. It is shown that indices in the periods before and after the introduction of the Euro as a single currency display a very distinct behaviour. Consistent with the literature, in the earlier period price changes are found to have an impact the next day on other markets. In the latter period this type of co-movement disappeared within Europe. Feedback trading has been shown to induce (negative) autocorrelation in national stock markets. In this paper an international version of the feedback trading model is used to illustrate that the lead-lag relationships across countries and the strength of these links depend on the currency regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper addresses the impact of the Rhine Crisis of 1840 on Italian countries and explains the role they played in the European State System when the Continent seemed to be on the eve of a general war. As the paper attempts to prove, the crisis seriously alarmed the ruling classes as well as the general public and revealed the internal problems of the Italian countries as well as their deep distrust towards the egotistic and self-serving policies of the Great Powers. The paper therefore introduces the history of Italy during late 1840 within the wider context of European diplomatic history and serves as a probe into the history of the European State System during the Pre-March period in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contrasts some approaches to quality and design, comparing Japan, Germany, Italy and the UK. The case for design is discussed and various types of design are covered in relation to the product development process. The author describes how to manage the design process to achieve quality products; four important areas are highlighted--management commitment, employee involvement, appropriate use of technology, and emphasis on the customer. Finally the paper looks briefly at the management of new product development and the formation and composition of the product development team. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: There is a growing consensus worldwide that palliative care needs to be both more inclusive of conditions other than cancer and to improve. This paper explores some common challenges currently faced by professionals providing palliative care for patients with either cancer or dementia across five countries. Method: One focus group (n = 7) and 67 interviews were conducted in 2012 across five countries: England, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Norway, with professionals from dementia, cancer and palliative care settings. Results: The interviews revealed five common challenges faced across the five countries: communication difficulties (between services; and between professionals, and patients and their families); the variable extent of structural/functional integration of services; the difficulties in funding of palliative care services; problematic processes of care (boundaries, definitions, knowledge, skills and inclusiveness) and, finally, time constraints. Conclusion: These are not problems distinct to palliative care, but they may have different origins and explanations compared to other areas of health care. This paper explored deeper themes hidden behind a discourse about barriers and facilitators to improving care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects on the significations of the 'mental life' of the city that are represented by the material symbols on display. In trying to comprehend the public display of fascist era 'art' in the city of Trieste, it addresses an example of trying to make sense of the 'impossible'. Reassured of the contested nature of such displays, the paper reflects further on the power of symbols in fascism and how different countries have addressed their legacy. Confirmed of their danger, we examine the risk of leaving their significance unanalysed and contextualise this in a comparison of the respective approaches of Italy and of Germany. We also consider the potential impacts of toleration, and normalisation, of such artefacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the market valuation of R&D in Denmark for 1989-2001, adding to the limited number of studies of countries outside of the US or the UK. In terms of financial systems or ownership structure, Denmark can be seen as an intermediate case between Anglo-Saxon models in the US and the UK and large continental European countries such as France, Germany and Italy. In order to facilitate international comparison, the analysis follows Hall and Oriani (2006), and it is found that the relative shadow value of R&D for Denmark is larger than comparable values for France, Germany, Italy and the US, and similar to those for the UK. Though, while relative shadow values are high overall, shadow values are substantially lower for firms with high R&D intensity. The role of ownership structure is also examined and it is found, in contrast to comparable results for France and Italy, that R&D is actually valued more highly in Danish firms with a single large shareholder. It is argued that this difference may be due to greater investor protection in Denmark. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates empirically the effects of institutions and market characteristics on corporate capital structure dynamics. Based on the fact that firms may temporarily deviate from their optimal capital structure due to the existence of adjustment costs, a partial adjustment model is used that links these transaction costs to country-specific characteristics such as the development of the financial markets, legal system, and macroeconomic environment. The sample comprises data from 873 firms in France, Germany, Italy and the UK over the period from 1982 to 2002. The results support the hypotheses that more developed financial markets, greater efficiency of the legal system and better protection of shareholders all have a positive effect on the speed at which firms adjust their capital structure towards the target. Similarly, higher economic growth and a higher inflation rate positively affect the speed of adjustment to the optimal capital structure as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of an assessment made as a part of the research project, Applied Multi-Risk Mapping of Natural Hazards for Impact Assessment (ARMONIA). The aim was to identify which aspects in the so-called disaster management cycle are covered by spatial planning in planning practice in the European Union's member states of Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK. In contrast to the initial hypothesis, the analysis of planning practice has shown that the role of spatial planning in risk assessment and management in many ways has been overestimated. The results have shown that spatial planning is only one of many actors in risk management and that it is, in general, not involved in risk assessment. Further, multi-risk assessment approaches are not used in planning practice, risk indicators are hardly used and vulnerability indicators are not at all used. The paper will interpret these surprising results and will answer the question of the role of spatial planning in natural risk assessment and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the children's channel output of the US transnationals in Germany, Britain, France, Italy and the Netherlands, and seeks to identify the specific factors that determine and shape their programming strategies linked to localisation. The analysis is based on a 2-week analysis of the schedules of some of the most popular transnational children's channels (Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, Playhouse Disney, Nickelodeon, Nick Junior) and key public service children's channels, as well as analysis of national TV markets and regulatory frameworks. The paper demonstrates the degree to which US transnationals are likely to adapt their offerings to meet different local circumstances, depending on a variety of connected market, regulatory and cultural factors, and points in particular to the importance of the broader institutional, policy and regulatory context in influencing the programming strategies of transnational players. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Regional Studies is the property of Routledge 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 explores the role of agents in migrant networks in the domestic elderly care sector. It is based on a study of female migrants from Poland who work in the sector in Germany and Italy. Using evidence gathered from qualitative interviews, we illustrate the importance of ties other than friends, families and communities in the migration process, including actors such as employers and recruitment agents. We also show that agents—in contrast to intermediaries—are significant actors in migrant networks and can be regarded as perpetuators of migration within these networks. Furthermore, we conclude that the role of agents in migrant networks has been underestimated. Rather than simply helping to match labour supply with labour demand, agents appear to offer migrants social and emotional support as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the relationships between the migratory policies of the EU countries with more experience of immigration and their national political cultures. It focuses on France, Germany and the United Kingdom. It then looks at Italy, a relatively new country of immigration, which, with 3,000,000 legal immigrants, has become the fourth country of immigration in Europe and the first in the Mediterranean basin. In its final part it highlights the incipient process of 'communitarisation' of the immigration policies of EU countries in the last decade. This process, which has already entailed a significant convergence of their migratory policies, is expected to continue after the recent enlargement of the European Union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Regional Studies is the property of Routledge 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 investigates the relationship between size and growth for a sample of banks from France, Germany, Italy and the UK over the period 1990 to 1996. Using several measures of bank size (total assets, equity and value of off balance sheet business), we test for size effects on growth, using models which incorporate the influences of previous growth, bank type and country of origin. The results of the analysis suggest that for Italy, small banks tend to grow faster than larger banks. No relationship is found between bank size and growth for France, Germany and the UK. This suggests a process of increasing concentration in these banking systems, even in the absence of bank specific strategic advantages. Small banks tend to have more variable growth rates than their larger counterparts. This suggests that large banks may enjoy advantages associated with diversified operations, which make them less susceptible to periods of extremely high or low growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The VAR has introduced a new element to football. Before, a decision to award a penalty kick could not be reversed. The player taking the penalty could take it relatively quickly after the referee called the foul. After the introduction of the VAR, every penalty kick decision is replayed by the VAR and also quite often reviewed on-field. As a consequence, time between the initial decision by the referee and the actual penalty kick has increased substantially. We examined the influence of the time-interval duration between the foul and the actual penalty kick on the conversion probability using a logit model. Also, we assessed the consequences of a VAR intervention, if any. We used data on all 2888 penalties awarded in top leagues in England, Spain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and the UEFA Champions League, over the course of five seasons (2015/2016–2019/2020). We found that the duration between the foul and the moment the penalty is taken does not impact the conversion probability. However, whether or not the VAR intervenes with the referee's decision has a negative effect on the conversion probability of penalty kicks. Football teams and coaches should incorporate this element of uncertainty in training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the population level, there is limited empirical evidence on the characteristics of individuals who were hospitalized because of Covid-19, the role of hospitalization in mortality risk, and how both evolved over time. Through the analysis of surveillance data for 7 million people in Austria, Germany, and Italy, we investigate: (1) the demographic characteristics and outcomes of individuals hospitalized because of Covid-19; and (2) the role of demographic risk factors and healthcare utilization (as measured by hospitalization) for the individual probability of dying because of Covid-19, in both cases comparing the period February to June 2020 with July 2020 to February 2021. We find that the demographic profile of individuals who were hospitalized or died because of Covid-19 is the same in both periods, except for a younger age profile for hospitalizations in the second period. Mortality differentials across countries result from the interaction of demographic risk factors and hospitalization at the individual level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An online survey of 691 clinicians who use hypnosis was conducted in 31 countries to gain a broad real-world picture of current practices, views, and experiences in clinical hypnosis. Among 36 common clinical uses, stress reduction, wellbeing and self-esteem-enhancement, surgery preparations, anxiety interventions, mindfulness facilitation, and labor and childbirth applications were the most frequently rated as highly effective (each by ≥70% of raters) in the clinicians' own experience. Adverse hypnosis-associated effects had been encountered by 55% of clinicians but were generally short-lived and very rarely judged as serious. The most common hypnosis approaches used were Ericksonian (71%), hypnotic relaxation therapy (55%), and traditional hypnosis (50%). Almost all respondents reported regularly using other therapeutic modalities alongside hypnosis. Among a range of client variables potentially affecting therapy, most clinicians rated hypnotist-client rapport (88%) and client motivation (75%) as very or extremely important factors for successful hypnotherapy. The majority of respondents had conducted hypnosis treatment via teletherapy, and 54% of those estimated it to be as effective as in-person treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Aachen Aphasia Test (AAT) is still the main test in use for the evaluation of aphasic deficits in German-speaking individuals (Huber et al., 1983, 1984). The test has also been adapted to the Italian language (Luzzatti et al., 1996) and was administered to 384 people with aphasia (PWA) almost exclusively after left-hemisphere brain damage (plus 24 individuals with residual symptoms and 8 without aphasia) and 88 control individuals. The study of construct validity and reliability, as well as norm data, were based on those 343 PWA who passed the preliminary examination for applicability of the Token Test. Motivated by current calls for improving the quality of outcome measures in aphasiology, we re-analyzed the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the AAT (IT-AAT) in an enlarged participant sample, and, for key analyses, with more recent psychometric methods. The overall sample comprised 674 PWA (plus 89 individuals with left-brain damage, including 60 individuals with residual aphasic symptoms and 29 individuals without aphasia). The investigation of construct validity, reliability, and extended norm data was based on the subset of 598 PWA who passed the AAT Token Test inclusion criterion. Assessment of construct validity, differential validity, and reliability aspects corroborated the earlier test properties. The extended norm data applied to the performance of an exemplary PWA yielded unanimous assignment to a Wernicke-type aphasia at initial assessment, which evolved, after speech-language therapy, to an impairment pattern consistent with conduction aphasia, characterized by disproportionately poorer performance in subtest Repetition than in subtest Comprehension. Significant improvement could be demonstrated for all subtests, which remained reliable even after taking into account the average expected increase in scores due to spontaneous recovery. The psychometric properties and the enlarged normative sample size are well suited for a valid application of diagnostic psychometric single-case analysis procedures to individual patients' AAT performance profiles and their comparison to detect changes in performance over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are prevalent in Europe but occurrence in primary care and the proportion of treated cases are understudied. This study reports prevalence of AUDs and their treatment in European primary health care settings and compares them with general population estimates.Procedure. We sampled 358 general practitioners (GPs, refusal rate: 56.4%) across six European countries (Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, and Spain) who assessed 13,003 patients including providing AUD diagnoses. A subsample of 8,476 patients (refusal rate: 17.8%) was interviewed subsequently, assessing DSM-IV AUD diagnoses via the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Final AUD diagnoses combined GP and patient interview information.Findings. Past year AUDs were prevalent with 11.8% (95% CI: 11.2–12.5%) across all regions, which is 1.6 times the European general population AUD estimate. Of those diagnosed with AUDs, 17.7% (95% CI: 15.4–20.0%) received professional help. Compared to general population estimates, AUDs and their treatment were more prevalent in primary care settings in most countries, with disproportionally high AUD rates in Italy and Spain and unexpectedly low AUD rates in Hungary.Conclusions. We found higher prevalence and treatment rates of AUDs in primary health care compared to general population surveys, with large variability between the observed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes innovation activities in medium-technology sectors in Germany, Italy and Spain and checks whether cross-country similarities or differences prevail. The results have important implications for the Sectoral Systems of Innovation and the Distance-to-the-Frontier frameworks. While the Sectoral Systems of Innovation predicts the existence of technology-related similarities in innovative patterns in the same sectors across countries, the Distance-to-the Frontier suggests the existence of relevant differences related with the level of technological development of each national sector. Using Community Innovation Survey data and adapting an econometric strategy first devised by Griffith, Huergo, Mairesse and Peters [Innovation and Productivity Across four European Countries,Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 22(4), 483–498, 2006], I test whether similarities or differences prevail across country in different features of innovation activity. The results show that relevant differences between the three countries exist in the intensity of R&D activities and in the economic impact of different types of innovations, providing support to the Distance-to-the-Frontier hypothesis. On the contrary, cross-country similarities emerge among the sources of knowledge used to develop innovations, in line with the Sectoral Systems of Innovation framework. The results highlight the importance to take into account both frameworks for a useful analysis of innovation within sectors and across countries. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Media studies emphasise the increasing use of security frames in migration reporting around the world, but they rarely engage in systematic analysis of risk language. Studying the use of risk language in media discourse could advance our understanding of how migration has come to be perceived, staged and handled as a risk by discursively constructing links to possible future harm for the security of individuals and societies. Using a dictionary-based approach, this study examines how the word 'risk' and other close terms, such as 'danger' and 'threat', are used in the press coverage of migration in Germany and Italy in 2015–16. The findings show that different risk words not only coexist but often compete with each other to convey specific interpretations of the issue. By associating migration to specific topics of debate the media emphasise harmful consequences for the host societies and trigger an understanding of migration as a threat to security. These findings draw attention to the interaction between the construction and the control of risk, and to the performative power of language in mobilizing symbolic and material resources to address social issues. The study also confirms that systematic analysis of media texts can offer a more informed understanding of the relation between analytical and lay concepts of risk, even if variations across languages suggest some caution when using a comparative approach to study risk discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the relationships between tourism and economic growth. It does this by examining the South Tyrolean economy using the Johansen cointegration test to obtain a cointegrated vector among the relevant variables and the Granger causality test to investigate causality. Annual GDP data from 1980 to 2006, the number of foreign visitors to South Tyrol, and the relative prices (RP) between South Tyrol and Germany (the source of more than 60% of foreign tourists) are used. The Johansen cointegration test shows that the estimated long-run elasticity of the real GDP with respect to tourism demand is 0.29 and the Granger causality test shows that causality goes unidirectionally from tourists and RP to real GDP. Therefore, the tourism-led growth hypothesis is supported empirically in the case of South Tyrol. In other words, in South Tyrol, tourism reinforces long-run economic growth but economic growth does not reinforce tourism. Impulse response analysis shows that a shock to the number of tourists and RP produces a continuous and sustained positive effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explanations of Italy's and Germany's position within the Eurozone commonly focus on trade 'competitiveness,' a concept measured in terms of unit labour costs. This trade-centric view offers a poor explanation for the evolution of the two countries external debt levels following the adoption of the Euro. It also fails to explain the external financial fragility that Italy has repeatedly experienced in the period since 2010. Both outcomes are better explained by dynamics in cross-border financial markets. Monetary union created large incentives for banks in the Eurozone's core states, including Germany, to direct funds to banks in the Eurozone's periphery (those countries whose banks had earlier faced higher currency-related risk premia in obtaining external financing). Domestic policy decisions in Germany further contributed to this outcome. In the period since 2010, the Eurozone's rules-based governance model and the failure of governments to create a common safe asset for banks became a major factor contributing to Italy's financial fragility. It remains to be seen whether Europe's response to the COVID-crisis will mark a watershed, and break these financial markets dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article critically examines the main assumptions underlying the reforms embedded in EMU and European Semester recommendations. We proceed in three steps. First, we question the notion that Italy and Germany embody two distinctive politico-economic models and challenge the conclusion, drawn from this assumption, that structural rigidities are the primary cause of Italy's economic woes and that its lackluster performance since the 1990s is due to its insufficient determination to implement structural reforms. Rather we show, second, that both countries have undertaken remarkably similar reforms which, however, have yielded different results both because of the different public debt levels they started with and because the interdependence created by the euro and the hyper-financialised markets rewarded those countries with low, and penalises those with high, sovereign debt. Third, we contest the assumption that the two economies would converge towards a common growth path if only Italy could adapt to the requirements of a globalised economy like Germany has apparently done, which leads us, in conclusion, to question the appropriateness of the EU's current strategy for both. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces the questions that motivate this special issue: the growing divergence among Eurozone member states and the overall disappointing performance of the Eurozone as a whole. It justifies the choice of Germany and Italy as the two countries that can best exemplify what are considered, respectively, the northern and southern politico-economic models coexisting in the Eurozone and proposes an approach to these questions that deviates from the mainstream. It argues that comparing the performance of Eurozone member economies as if they were independent of one another prevents an accurate assessment of the externalities created by the common currency and claims that microeconomic solutions to macroeconomic problems have the effect of reinforcing the divergence, rather than attenuating it. Incorporating the insights drawn from the detailed analysis of the various aspects of the German and Italian models provided by the contributors to this special issue, it concludes by assessing the likely impact of the impending reform of EMU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article extends the literature on the varieties of capitalism within the Economic and Monetary Union of Europe with an analysis of the financial drivers of fiscal policies in creditor and debtor countries from the euro crisis up to the coronavirus pandemic, with an application to Germany and Italy. Market perceptions of sovereign creditworthiness, as grounded in national political economies, cause a persistent segmentation of the euro area capital market between peer countries regarded as safe or risky. As a consequence, cross-border capital flows have an asymmetric effect on the public and private finances of creditor and debtor countries, adding to the asymmetric impact from their economic growth models. These financial asymmetries interact with public opinion and are in turn endogenous drivers of political choices for or against fiscal discipline and of political preferences for a stable domestic investor base of public debt. A common safe asset for the eurozone is necessary to mitigate the asymmetric systemic risks from volatile capital flows and establish a symmetric financial driver of steady output growth, fiscal soundness, and financial stability. This common mechanism for endogenous stabilisation would help to sustain euro area capital market integration and support the long-term viability of the euro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined the relationship between perception of COVID-19, travel risk perception and travel behaviour among travellers in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) – an important tourism market and, after Italy, the second region in Europe that was impacted by COVID-19. Data were collected at two points of time: the sample of the study in Period 1 (n = 1158) was collected at a critical point in time in the beginning of March 2020, when Italy was already massively affected by COVID-19; the sample of the study in Period 2 (n = 212) was collected two weeks later, when Europe has seen immense impacts and COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. Cluster analysis was performed and defined three unique clusters in both periods with distinctive characteristics. In addition, results revealed a significant increase in risk perception of COVID-19, travel risk perception and travel behaviour over a short period of time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates whether changes in women's and men's contributions to household income in Germany and Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic are associated with changes in unpaid work. The current health crisis represents a unique opportunity to explore these topics, because the restrictive measures imposed during the lockdown are likely to have generated an unexpected shock to both domestic work and individual ability to contribute to household income. Using data from two novel datasets collected in Germany and Italy during the pandemic, this article shows that changes to both contribution to household income and unpaid activities during the crisis have been gendered, affecting women more negatively than men. In addition, we suggest that economic disturbances during the pandemic are associated with gendered changes in unpaid work that seem to be driven by changes in bargaining power in both countries. Our results also show some support for enhanced traditionalization of domestic life among German couples during the crisis, as predicted by gender display theories, albeit only regarding childcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Italy (in pilot regions) and Germany (nationwide) were the first European countries to introduce universal varicella vaccination (UVV) programs. A systematic review was performed to assess varicella epidemiology before UVV programs and the impact of 1-dose and 2-dose UVV programs in Italy and Germany. Italy implemented 1- or 2-dose UVV programs successively in eight pilot regions between 2003 and 2011 and nationwide in 2017. Germany implemented 1- and 2-dose UVV programs in 2004 and 2009, respectively. While Italy had two nationwide surveillance systems in place for varicella in the pre-vaccination era, in Germany, a mandatory notification system for varicella was only introduced in the New Federal States 2 years before the 1-dose UVV implementation. Substantial reductions in moderate/severe varicella and varicella-related hospitalization incidence occurred during the 1-dose era. Further reductions were reported in Italy and Germany after the recommendation of a second dose in a long or short schedule, respectively. Different benefit-risk evaluations of a tetravalent varicella-containing vaccine (MMRV) used as a first dose led to different recommendations (MMRV versus MMR+V) in these countries. Vaccination strategies in both countries tailored to country-specific needs and goals led to a reduction in varicella-related health care hospitalization costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known about the knowledge and use of technology-based interventions (TBIs) by health personnel working in the addiction field across Europe. Methods: An online questionnaire was designed using SurveyMonkey® in order to determine the level of knowledge, use and perceived efficacy of TBIs in substance use disorders (SUDs), among health professionals across six EU Member States: Germany, Italy, UK, France, Poland and the Netherlands. The survey was sent to a convenience sample of 1200 addiction experts. Results: Surveyed participants (311, response rate 26%), had a mean professional addiction experience of 17 years; 23% stated to have good knowledge of TBIs, while 12% use them in their clinical practice. Forty-six percent consider TBIs useful in the treatment of addiction, and 44% foresee a significant increase of them in the future. TBIs were considered important for people facing barriers to accessing treatment (63%) and for providing support outside the formal care settings (60%). Lack of technical support (48%), poor infrastructure and equipment (42%), and lack of digital literacy among health workers (38%) were identified as the main obstacles in the diffusion of TBIs. Conclusions: Knowledge and utilisation of TBIs among health workers in drug addiction field is low. Nevertheless, TBIs are perceived as a possible means of facilitation in providing access to treatment, and as therapeutic tools which will become more important in the future. The need to improve training policies, awareness and attitudes towards TBIs among EU health professionals, working in the field of addiction is paramount. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite measures on the European level to increase the compatibility between the higher education sectors, the recent literature exposes variations in their efficiencies. To gain insights into these differences, we split the efficiency term according to the two management levels each university is confronted with. We separate short-term and long-term efficiency while controlling for unobserved institution-specific heterogeneity. We argue that the first term reflects the efficiency of the individual universities working within the country, while the second term echoes the influence of the overall country-specific higher education structure. The cross-country comparison displays whether efficiency differences between countries are related to the individual performance of their universities or their higher education structure. This allows more purposeful policy recommendations and expands the literature regarding the efficiency of universities in a fundamental way. Choosing Italy and Germany as two important illustrative examples, we show that the Italian higher education sector exhibits a higher overall efficiency value. With the individual universities working at the upper bound of efficiency in both countries, the remaining inefficiency and the gap between the countries are caused by persistent, structural inefficiency. Future measures should hence aim at the country-specific structure and not solely at the activities of single universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory study examines consumers' perception towards sexual imagery in alcohol advertising across national cultures and among men and women with different demographic and psychographic make-up in those cultures. This study addresses a very important gap found in the literature, namely the influence of consumers' psychographic characteristics as values and lifestyles on their overall perception towards sexual imagery in advertising. The study was conducted among consumers aged between 18 and 35 in the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy. Results indicate that Italians overall have higher acceptance levels towards sexual imagery portrayed in advertisements as compared to German and British consumers. Furthermore, varying levels of sexual imagery are much more appealing to men than women in all three countries. Consumers' values and lifestyles also played an important role in their overall perception. Moral values in particular are an indicator of acceptance levels of sexual content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Alcohol is one of the least intervened risk factors in the management of hypertension at the primary care level. In order to improve alcohol interventions, a better understanding of knowledge, attitudes and clinical practice of lifestyle interventions in the management of hypertension is needed. Method:As a part of a European study (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK), 211 German general practitioners (GPs) were recruited in Bavaria and Hamburg and surveyed via an Internet-based questionnaire. Results were compared with the European sample (n = 2870). Results:One-third of the patients seen by German GPs had hypertension (36.2%, standard deviation (SD): 14.6) and among cases with hypertension, less than half were ever screened for alcohol (4.5 out of 10 patients). The foremost reasons for not screening for alcohol were that alcohol was not considered a major risk factor for hypertension plus the lack of knowledge of appropriate alcohol screening instruments. The majority of German GPs managed patients with hazardous drinking levels themselves or in their practice (71.3%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 64.6–77.2%), but only 42.0% (95% CI: 35.2–49.0%) managed alcohol dependent patients. German screening rates were slightly lower but interventions of screened positive patients higher than the European average. Conclusions:Rates of alcohol screening in patients with hypertension in primary health care may be increased by improving GPs knowledge of alcohol as a major risk factor for hypertension, increasing GPs education on alcohol and screening instruments, and providing reimbursement. This may increase treatment of alcohol problems in patients with hypertension and reduce hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives:The ability to manage one's life with some degree of independence, to fulfill basic obligations, and to participate in social activities are social functions that delineate the core of ‘social health’. We examine to what extent clients of community care in Europe (n= 2884) complete such activities despite their cognitive problems. We focus on mildly and moderately impaired people, aged 65+ years. Methods:Data were collected using the interRAI HC-Assessment in IBenC-project. We tested the association between participants' capacity and performance in three LADLs (instrumental activities of daily living) and their cognitive performance and specific memory problems. Results:About 30% of home care clients in Europe suffer from mild-to-moderate cognitive impairment. Their relatively independent coping with requirements of routine activities is strongly determined by overall cognitive performance. Specific memory functions seem unimportant, except for procedural memory. It is striking that all clients, and particularly those with mild-to-moderate cognitive impairment, interact mostly with close relatives and friends. Mild-to-moderate cognitive limitations do not hinder clients from coping semi-independently with routine requirements. Discussion:When considering the influence of cognitive function on clients' capacity and performance in everyday activities and social relations, a comprehensive construct of cognitive function has to be applied. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article contributes to the debate on the use of performance information in the context of public sector performance management. Based on case studies, the authors analyze the appropriateness of the performance information provided in the newly established performance budgets of municipalities in Germany and Italy. They also examine the interest of politicians and senior managers in using such information for decision-making and monitoring within the municipal budget cycle. They find that the use of performance information is generally quite modest, and that the interest of different local actors varies to a great extent. Politicians are generally less interested in such information than top managers, particularly chief financial officers. The results are discussed by applying a theoretical framework based on institutional and legitimacy theories, and are compared with the literature on performance information use. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: The objective of this study is to determine whether persons with neuropsychiatric disorders experience a common set of psychosocial difficulties using qualitative data from focus groups and individual interviews.Method: The study was performed in five European countries (Finland, Italy, Germany, Poland and Spain) using the focus groups and individual interviews with persons with nine neuropsychiatric disorders (dementia, depression, epilepsy, migraine, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, stroke and substance dependence). Digitally recorded sessions were analysed using a step-by-step qualitative and quantitative methodology resulting in the compilation of a common set of psychosocial difficulties using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a framework.Results: Sixty-seven persons participated in the study. Most persons with neuropsychiatric disorders experience difficulties in emotional functions, sleeping, carrying out daily routine, working and interpersonal relationships in common. Sixteen out of 33 psychosocial difficulties made up the common set. This set includes mental functions, pain and issues addressing activities and participation and provides first evidence for the hypothesis of horizontal epidemiology of psychosocial difficulties in neuropsychiatric disorders.Conclusions: This study provides information about psychosocial difficulties that should be covered in the treatment and rehabilitation of persons with neuropsychiatric disorders regardless of clinical diagnoses.Implications for RehabilitationEmotional problems, work and sleep problems should be addressed in all the treatments of neuropsychiatric disorders regardless of their specific diagnosis, etiology and severity.Personality issues should be targeted in the treatment for neurological disorders, whereas communication skill training may also be useful for mental disorders.The effects of medication and social environment on patient’s daily life should be considered in all the neuropsychiatric conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article focuses upon the processes whereby individuals reframe their career goals and career direction mid-way through their working lives. Three cases, drawn from Denmark, Germany and Italy, are used to exemplify these processes. The cases are part of a larger study which included the development of a model that could accommodate the different ways in which learning could support labour market transitions across the life-course, where these transitions may involve shifts away from initial occupational identities. The model was used to inform the case analysis whereby career reframing processes could be viewed from three perspectives: reframing as a process of identity development, as a form of relational, emotional, practical and cognitive development and taking place within particular opportunity structures. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]