Search

The paper selectively overviews extant research on coworking in order to illustrate: i) the role assigned to technology in coworking settings; and ii) how a more comprehensive account of technology could provide a richer interpretation of the future of work. Drawing on the framework originally proposed by Orlikowski and Iacono (2001), the article identifies current themes and trends in the coworking debate. The main finding is that the role of ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) is not only under-represented, but that two key elements are noticeably absent from the discourse: the autonomy-control linkage and the temporal-spatial configuration of work. The paper illuminates those areas of the coworking puzzle in which new politics of time and space call for further investigation, positing that the scholarly spotlight needs to retrain on the role of technology.

Questo paper si prefigge di indentificare le caratteristiche del sistema produttivo del piccolo agricoltore in Kenya, evidenziando le sfide per la transizione sostenibile. L’ipotesi di ricerca si basa sulla letteratura propria della agro-ecology e della Eco-economy, secondo cui il piccolo agricoltore contribuisce direttamente alla food security locale e rappresenta anche un moltiplicatore di pratiche sostenibili. Questo perché il suo agire è place-based, nonché basato sulle conoscenze e le pratiche tradizionali. Il campione della ricerca è composto da 100 piccoli agricoltori dell’area di Gilgil, contea di Nakuru County, in Kenya. La ricerca ha coinvolto un team di partner internazionali, è stata sponsorizzata dal MIUR e contribuisce al dibattito sulla transizione sostenibile dei sistemi agro-alimentari., This paper identifies the features of Kenyan small-scale farmers and their production systems, highlighting the challenges of sustainability transition. Drawing on the agro-ecology and eco-economy literature, the research hypothesis is that Kenyan farmers can play a role of paramount importance in stimulating place-based sustainability practices, and assure food security outcomes, because farming occurs following indigenous, place-based tradition and knowledge. 100 small farmers in the sub-county of Gilgil in Nakuru County, Kenya have been surveyed and profiled. The survey was sponsored by MIUR (Italian Ministry of University and Research). The research aimed to contribute to the debates on the sustainability of food systems.

This paper presents an innovative approach to social housing management in the Dutch social housing sector. This approach is based on a novel idea of social mix which brings to-gether young Dutch and asylum seekers who manage all housing-related services by them-selves. This paper presents and discusses limits and potential of this approach for social in-clusion in the context of broader shifts in the social housing sphere and related challenges for social housing organisations and tenants.

With conversational platforms like online forums offering researchers insightful deposits of human traces, considering the opportunities and limits of studying online interpersonal communication is crucial for social scientists. Building on lessons learned from a personal research journey, this paper presents the rationale behind using natural online data, ethical considerations, and practical advice to choose a context of data collection, generate and analyze a proper database. The contribution homes in on epistemological, ethical, and methodological perspectives to provide scholars with guidance on some strategies to select, read, and scrutinize online interactional data in an ethically informed and methodologically sound fashion.

This article discusses the results of a study that collected information on a sample of 2,183 individuals through a web survey, conducted in Italy during the period of the first lockdown linked to COVID-19 and aimed at exploring the theme of risk perception at the time of the pandemic. Specifically, the paper will examine two aspects: (a) the socio-demographic char-acteristics of the respondents about risk; (b) the relationship between risk perception and the likelihood of adopting behaviours aimed at averting contagion.As regards the first point, the results show that those with a lower perception of risk are males, older, unmarried. The level of education only affects the fear of not surviving in the event of contagion (those with higher qualifications are less afraid). Concerning the second aspect, data show that those who per-ceive a greater risk tend to adopt individual protection measures with greater probability. The results of the study are useful for providing suggestions to improve the risk communication, that is a priority for public health agendas, and suggest to target it according to the specific profiles of the individuals to whom it is addressed.

In Italy, the older age group is characterised by a significantly lower level of digital skills, usage and equipment than adults. This gap overlaps with that of financial skills, which are essential for financial well-being. The paper analyse how digital literacy, financial literacy and digital financial literacy influence the perception of a chance in one’s financial wellbeing after the arrival of COVID-19 pandemic. The study comments on the main findings of a quantitative survey on 328 older people, representative of the national population by gender and age group, living in the northern regions most affected by the pandemic and able to answer an online questionnaire. The results indicate that digital literacy helped protect against a worsening of one’s (perceived) economic situation, but not financial literacy.

In Svizzera, il Ticino è stato uno dei Cantoni più colpiti dalla pandemia COVID-19 e la riconfigurazione del suo sistema ospedaliero si è incentrata sulla creazione di centri-COVID. Il presente contributo analizza come l’Ospedale di Locarno “La Carità” (ODL), dichiarato centro-COVID di riferimento a livello cantonale a metà marzo, si sia riorganizzato assumendo un ruolo attivo centrale nella risposta del sistema ospedaliero Ticinese. L’analisi, basata su interviste semi-strutturate rivolte a sei figure manageriali chiave dell’ospedale, ha fatto luce sui fattori che maggiormente hanno contribuito al successo della risposta all’emergenza. L’analisi del caso di studio suggerisce che hanno giocato un ruolo importante: il modello di ospedale multi-sito EOC, l’agile e coordinata struttura a livello istituzionale ed operativo (garante sia di unità di comando sia di adeguata flessibilità), la cooperazione pubblico-privato in un contesto di network governance, la logica manageriale del learning by doing e la propensione all’innovazione in ambito manageriale e operativo., In Switzerland, Ticino was one of the Cantons most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the reconfiguration of its hospital system relied on the creation of COVID-centers. This paper analyzes how the hospital "La Carità" in Locarno (ODL), appointed as reference COVID-center at the cantonal level in mid-March, has reorganized itself, playing a central active role in the response of the Ticino hospital system. The analysis, based on semi-structured interviews administered to six key actors of the hospital management, shed light on the main success factors of the response to the emergency. In particular, case study indicates some important drivers: the EOC multi-site hospital model, an agile and coordinated structure at the institutional and operational level (fostering both unity of command and flexibility), the importance of public-private cooperation in a context of network governance, the management according to a logic of learning by doing and the orientation toward managerial and operational innovation.

Il lavoro accademico si divide tra ricerca, didattica e attività amministrative. Dopo la riforma Gelmini, la ricerca ha un peso rilevante ai fini dell’avanzamento di carriera. Secondo la letteratura, le donne sono più propense ad assumersi i compiti di insegnamento e quelli amministrativi, in virtù di un gender scheme che le vede più portate per queste mansioni. Le donne hanno meno probabilità di raggiungere posizioni apicali e le raggiungono più lentamente. In questo articolo esploriamo il ruolo attribuito dalle accademiche italiane ai compiti di didattica, indagando i percorsi di adattamento/resistenza alle nuove regole di competizione. Attraverso quindici interviste qualitative emerge che la didattica è considerata un elemento di ancoraggio: le intervistate percepiscono il rapporto diretto con gli studenti come indispensabile al raggiungimento della soddisfazione professionale, o considerano l’investimento in questo ambito come una potenziale porta di accesso alla carriera accademica. Alcune hanno subito richieste pressanti sia per l’espletamento di compiti di didattica sia amministrativi., The academic labor is divided between researching, teaching and fulfilling administrative tasks. After the Gelmini reform, research has gain a relevant weight for career advancement. According to the literature, women are more inclined to take on teaching and administrative tasks, due to a gender scheme which considers them as more suited to these tasks. They are less likely to reach top positions and achieve them at a slower pace. In this paper we explore the role of teaching tasks in the trajectories of a group of Italian female academics, investigating the paths of adaptation/resistance to the new rules of competition. Through fifteen qualitative interviews it emerges teaching is an anchoring element: Our interviewees perceive the direct relationship with students as indispensable to the achievement of professional satisfaction, or they consider the investment in this area as a potential gateway to an academic career. Some have experienced pressing demands for fulfilling both teaching and administrative tasks.

Covid-19 has imposed a rethinking of risk management systems in the healthcare sector. The aim of this paper is to investigate how the risk has been and is managed by the healthcare organizations, on the basis of regional directives. The analysis focuses on the health system of the Lombardy Region. In particular, the authors focused on the resolutions adopted by the Lombardy Region in the acute phase of the pandemic (2 March 2020-12 May 2020) with the aim of rebuilding the system put in place by the Region for risk prevention and management. Thanks to the resolutions, the Lombardy Region has established a risk management system, consisting of a surveillance system and an emergency management system that seems to have led to positive consequences.

Il contributo discute il bisogno di un’idea di natura funzionale alla costruzione delle isole come luoghi geografici eccezionali. Questa riflessione teorica viene sviluppata facen-do riferimento al campo degli studi insulari. Prima mostrando la relazione tra la natura e le categorie dell’insularità (nello specifico vulnerabilità, unicità e isolamento), in seguito proponendo alcuni modelli di isole che rappresentano l’esito materiale di questa relazione. Natura e società sono poste in posizione dialettica per mostrare come l’insularità sia il prodotto di processi culturali e politici che si fondano, anche, sulla separazione tra antro-pico e naturale, The essay discusses the need of an idea of nature supporting the construction of islands as exceptional places. This theoretical argumentation is developed mainly referring to the so-called island studies. The paper points out the relationship between nature and the categories of insularity (vulnerability, uniqueness and isolation), then proposes some models of islands that may materialize this relationship. Nature and society are presented as a dialectic duo, to show how insularity is the product of cultural and political processes based on the separation between human and natural.

This paper explores the concepts of housing quality and subjective wellbeing on a repre-sentative sample of Italian population. The analysis consists in the construction of several indices which combine objective, i.e. characteristics of the dwelling and its surroundings, and subjective variables, i.e. perceived subjective wellbeing. Through a cluster analysis, we identify specific groups and looked at their spatial distribution at different degrees of urban-ization.

We were delighted to be asked to comment on Capdevila’s paper Negotiating health, mothering and “choice”. By reading the title we soon identified four keywords on which we, as feminist social psychologists and researchers, committed (and commit) our studies: “negotiate”, a verb that is, at the same time, active and reflexive, typically used to describe the relational and conversational process happening between people during their social encounters; “health”, that like “illness”, we recognise as a shared and intersubjective experience, that is contextually situated and constructed through social and relational interactions; “mothering”, that like “birth”, we understand not only as a physiological process, but also an event mired in historical and socio-cultural meaning; and finally, “choice”, that we identify with as women’s sense of agency or self-determination in making important decision affecting their lives. Indeed the paper represented for us an interesting occasion to reflect on the interrelation between these concepts, on the space that this debate currently has within mainstream health psychology research, and on possible alternative understandings of health and gender

The paper explores the extents to which the concept of hub is suitable to represent Milan's role in the spatial, social and economic organization of the fashion industry. The system is spatially structured along two complementary forces: a strong embeddedness in the local society and an equally important internationalisation process. Through these analyses, the authors draw some reflections on the importance of the notion of hub for the urban policies.

The paper highlights how the historical marginality of parliamentary control functions is being replaced by a growing awareness of the need to use the institution of national representation as the place to develop transparency in decision-making, the definition of levels of responsibility and the verification of results. The evaluation of public policies, as a science that promotes a constant circularity between scientific analysis and political decision, is indicated as a tool for a crucial renewal.

The paper explores the extents to which the concept of hub is suitable to represent Milan's role in the spatial, social and economic organization of the fashion industry. The system is spatially structured along two complementary forces: a strong embeddedness in the local society and an equally important internationalisation process. Through these analyses, the authors draw some reflections on the importance of the notion of hub for the urban policies.

In Italia, come in altri paesi europei, le migranti sono particolarmente esposte alla sovraistruzione e a parità di livello di studio tendono a svolgere lavori meno qualificati che le native. Sebbene le segmentazioni del mercato del lavoro siano state oggetto di ricerche recenti, non esistono pubblicazioni che a livello nazionale o regionale confrontino il posizionamento di laureate e laureati in base al genere e alla cittadinanza. Partendo dall'analisi delle assunzioni in Veneto, il contributo mette in evidenza che l'accesso al mercato del lavoro è differenziato sulla base della nazionalità e del genere, a prescindere dal livello di studio. Benché siano anche loro colpite dalla sovraistruzione, le laureate italiane e provenienti da paesi ad alto reddito si inseriscono in modo significativo in posizioni lavorative altamente qualificate. Al contrario, le laureate di altri paesi si confrontano con un glass ceiling che le costringe ad accettare mansioni meno qualificate per le quali sono sovraistruite., In Italy, as in other European countries, migrant women are particularly exposed to overqualification. With an equivalent level of education, they tend to perform less skilled jobs than native women. Although the labor market segmentations have been studied in recent publications, there is no research that at national or regional level compares the positioning of graduates based on gender and nationality. Starting from the analysis of hirings in the Veneto region, this paper highlights that there is a differentiated access to the labor market according to the nationality and gender of workers, regardless of their level of education. Although they are also concerned by overqualification, graduate women from Italy and highincome countries have a privileged access to high skill positions. Graduate women from other countries are confronted with a glass ceiling that constrains them to accept less skilled positions for which they are overqualified.

Con la legge 205/2017, ARERA è chiamata a «migliorare il sistema di regolazione del ciclo dei rifiuti, compresi differenziati, urbani e simili». Allo stesso tempo, le direttive europee sull'economia circolare, nel luglio 2018, promuovono un pro-cesso di trasformazione nel modo di progettare il ciclo dei rifiuti e, di conseguenza, di concepire la sua organizzazione e disciplina. L’articolo indaga queste trasformazioni, volte alla configurazione di una nuova politica industriale incentrata sui rifiuti come risorsa, e una nuova regolazione del servizio volta a garantire condizioni di qualità uniformi nel territorio (almeno ad un livello minimo) salvaguardando nel contempo la complessa governance territoriale del servizio stesso., The paper offers a first reflection on the regulatory functions of ARERA, with reference to the urban waste management system. The starting point is represented by the analysis of the connection with the general law n. 481/1995, which governs the regulatory tasks of ARERA also in the different sectors of water, energy and gas. Then the study is directed to draw the boundary lines of the new regulatory tasks both with reference to the administrations with direction and planning tasks (central administration and regions), and to municipal administrations (urban waste service providers) and local government bodies (where established), called to organize the service itself. The question of the boundaries of regulation also emerges in relation to the object and the powers exercisable by ARERA, towards an increase in the efficiency of the service, as well as the achievement of a more homogeneous level of user protection, at national level.

L’abilità a procurarsi cibo sano (foodability) è “un fatto” complesso. Essa dipende da più fattori: dall’accessibilità economica, esprimibile come il grado di accessibilità in relazione ai prezzi e alle disponibilità economiche. Dall’accessibilità fisica ossia dalla vicinanze fisica a luoghi di vendita. Dalla disponibilità di alimenti sani. Dalla disponibilità di cibi adeguati alle diverse popolazioni. Infine, dalla capacità delle persone di riconoscere il valore nutrizionale. Investigare tutti questi aspetti in maniera congiunta o separatamente rappresenta un tema di crescente interesse. L’obiettivo di questo articolo è definire una metodologia, applicata poi nella città di Milano, all’analisi dell’accessibilità economica., The ability to acquire healthy food (foodability) is a composite concept, which depends on several factors. First, it is related to the level of affordability, defined as the access to food in relation to prices and the purchasing power. Then, it is worth considering the physical accessibility in terms of proximity to groceries. It must be measured also the availability of fresh and healthy food, and the availability of goods that satisfy the preferences of specific groups of people. Finally, there are the knowledge and skills for processing food properly. The analysis of these aspects is a field of growing interest. The aim of this paper is to define a methodology for the affordability and to apply it in the city of Milan.

The basic propositions of this paper are that the modern severe economic crises, due to their monetary dimension, have deep consequences on mass psychology, and that a general model concerning the psychological processes involved is historically well grounded. In particular, we analyzed the corralito / corralon argentine crisis in 2001. We compared too our data and findings with several historical reports and analyses concerning other modern severe economic crises. Eventually, we put forward a two-phases general model, involving four main psychological processes Gli assunti fondamentali di questo articolo sono sintetizzabili nelle seguenti proposizioni: le moderne crisi economiche estreme hanno, per la loro natura monetaria, profonde conseguenze sulla psicologia di massa; un modello generale riguardante i processi psicologici coinvolti in queste crisi ha solide basi storiche. Abbiamo, in particolare, preso in considerazione la crisi argentina del corralito/ corralon del 2001. Abbiamo, inoltre, accostato gli elementi raccolti con le testimonianze e le analisi riguardanti altre crisi economiche maggiori dell’era moderna. Abbiamo, infine, proposto un modello generale in due fasi caratterizzato da quattro processi psicologici fondamentali., The basic propositions of this paper are that the modern severe economic crises, due to their monetary dimension, have deep consequences on mass psychology, and that a general model concerning the psychological processes involved is historically well grounded. In particular, we analyzed the corralito / corralon argentine crisis in 2001. We compared too our data and findings with several historical reports and analyses concerning other modern severe economic crises. Eventually, we put forward a two-phases general model, involving four main psychological processes.

Users’ work enables the functioning of sharing platforms, as they dedicate a sizable amount of time to read reviews to select a suitable partner to exchange with. Moreover, they provide ratings and evaluations collected by reputational algorithms, helping users to overcome informational asymmetries. The goal of this paper is to understand whether there are additional side benefits linked to users’ work on platforms, the key hypothesis being that users’ work on platforms produces social capital. To investigate this, data from a EU-based multi country survey on participation to the sharing economy will be used, as well as data from focus groups. Empirical results show that as users engage with others they develop a loose common identification based on a common set of ethics. Furthermore, users undertaking more work are more likely to repeat interactions with selected partners.

L’articolo riflette sulla complessità di costruire un ecosistema di innovazione sociale che abilita cambiamenti di lungo termine. Il caso studio presentato è la città di Seoul, dove il sindaco Park Won-Soon sta promuovendo la costruzione di una sharing city guidata dall’innovazione sociale. L’attenzione è al ruolo del governo locale e agli sforzi per modificare la cultura dell’amministrazione e migliorare la partecipazione dei cittadini. Il modello concettuale elaborato evidenzia l’importanza di un’azione pubblica consapevole e mirata per la promozione e la diffusione delle pratiche di condivisione e innovazione in città, To face and solve growing urban challenges, calls for innovative and creative solutions have become more and more commonplace. Although the promotion of a single successful social innovation policy might be relatively easy, to set up an ecosystem of social innovation that enables long-term changes requires more effort. According to the scientific literature, a systematic approach, new types of leadership and an appropriate governance model that is both multilevel and collaborative, are required. Following this theoretical framework, the author looks to an Asian city that can be considered in the vanguard of social innovation: Seoul. The mayor, Park Won-Soon is currently progressing with plans to build an innovation-led sharing city. This paper illustrates the creation of the social innovation ecosystem, with a special focus on the “Sharing City, Seoul” project. It examines the role of local government, its ability to rely on new intermediary organisations, and its efforts to modify the culture of the administration and improve citizen engagement. A qualitative approach based on multiple sources of evidence has enabled the development of a conceptual model that describes the current shape and features of the Seoul social innovation ecosystem. The results highlight the importance of conscious and targeted public action for the promotion and spread of pervasive sharing and innovative practices in the city

Data linkage is a practice that consists in the linkage of survey data to administrative records held by different bodies, such as government departments, local authorities and universities. This practice has become increasingly popular in the survey world in the recent years. Indeed, a number of surveys have planned and are planning to link their survey data to the respondents' administrative records. For example, following on a 2009 German pilot study, many countries that participate in the Survey for Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) intend to perform data linkage following the survey. The aim of this paper is to discuss the research potential of linking survey data to administrative records, to reflect on the methodological issues involved in performing data linkage, and to present the case study of the UK survey Understanding Society. The UK household longitudinal study.

The paper presents the findings of a study on the dynamics of the location of dwellings in Italy. In particular, it explores the consequences of the economic crisis on the housing market, with particular attention to the building renovation, the presence of empty houses, the housing size, the tenure status and the house affordability. The analysis is carried out at the level of the metropolitan areas, large urban areas and the rest of the Country.

This paper presents the results of a secondary data analysis of the latest survey, conducted during the period 2008-2009 by the National Italian Institute for Statistics (Istat) in Italy, on how time is used. It aims to analyze how night-time hours are used by the Italian population, with attention to the duration and temporal sequence of the activities undertaken. Specifically, it intends to answer questions regarding identification of when night begins and ends and to provide an analysis of the density and temporal sequences of daytime activities.

This paper aims to prove how adequate the Sequence Analysis' tools are in the study of the complexity of the Italian higher education system. Indeed, this system has been strongly challenged by dispersion in its main aspects: (1) low number of graduates; (2) excessively long university careers; (3) very high number of drop outs. Through longitudinal administrative data of a cohort of students enrolled at Sapienza University of Rome, the Sequence Analysis allows: (1) to describe the phenomena of late graduation and delayed performance; (2) to identify different types of students dropping out; (3) evaluation of other particular phenomena that can delay the students' career. Through this analysis, we will focus our attention on individual as well as on contextual factors because we assume that: «It is one thing to understand why students leave; it is another to know what institutions can do to help students stay and succeed » (Tinto 2007, p. 6).

Il saggio analizza, sulla base dei dati Multiscopo Istat 2012-13, le principali differenze tra gli anziani a seconda del genere e della col-locazione sociale sia rispetto ad alcune specifiche e alla non autosuf-ficienza, sia rispetto alla tipologia familiare, specie in caso di non au-tosufficienza. Mediante analisi multivariate, si rileva una specifica problematicità femminile e dei ceti meno scolarizzati per quanto riguarda la cronicità e la disabilità, mentre, per quanto concerne la condizione di so-litudine, emerge uno specifico rischio di solitudine, anche in caso di non autosufficienza, per le donne, specie molto anziane (over 75).Ne consegue che le politiche socio-sanitarie a sostegno della fragilità e della non autosufficienza nelle fasce anziane hanno un ruolo deter-minante non solo per i ceti sociali più modesti, ma per la popolazione femminile., Through the analysis of the Istat Multipurpose Survey data 2012-2013, this paper investigates how the differences in gender, social position, and family composition affect the elderly population with respect to certain specific diseases and to loss of self-sufficiency. A multivariate analysis reveals that women and the less educated parts of the population are subject to higher risk of chronic diseases and to loss of self-sufficiency. The risk of loneliness is particularly high in the women, especially in the extremely old ones, even in case of longterm care requirements. Thus social and healthcare policies sustaining the elder parts of the population with respect to long term care have a crucial role not only for the poorest segments of the society but especially for the women.

La combinazione di variabili istituzionali che nel complesso definiscono differenti regimi produttivi e di welfare è all’origine di livelli differenziati di inclusione dei lavoratori anziani nel mercato del lavoro e di protezione degli stessi dai rischi di instabilità occupazionale, conseguenti al processo di globalizzazione. Inoltre, tale combinazione influenza altresì la capacità delle variabili di caratterizzazione individuale di influenzare i percorsi di fine carriera. Adottando un approccio che considera al contempo le variabili istituzionali e le caratteristiche individuali, il contributo analizza le variabili più significative nell’influenzare l’occupabilità e le performance occupazionali dei lavoratori anziani, da una prospettiva comparativa. In particolare, il focus è sul ruolo del capitale umano. Applicando tecniche di analisi longitudinale ai dati SHARE, viene stimato l’effetto di alcune variabili di capitale umano (educazione e formazione informale) sull’occupabilità e la performance occupazionale dei lavoratori anziani in diversi contesti istituzionali, The combination of institutional variables defining different welfare and productive regimes lead to different degrees of inclusion of older workers in the labour market and to different degrees of protection of older workers from work-related risks deriving from the globalization process. Moreover, the institutional setting also influences the degree of significance that individual characteristics have in shaping employment biographies in later life. By adopting an institution and individual- centered approach, the paper analyses the most critical characteristics that sustain older workers’ employability and employment performance, from a cross-national perspective. In particular, it focuses on the role of human capital. Appling longitudinal models to SHARE data we estimate the effect of three different dimensions of human capital (educational level and informal training) on older workers’ employability and employment performance in different institutional contexts

In recent years, with the emergence of Positive Psychology, some issues such as well-being and quality of life have also received increasing attention within the organizational context. The basic idea is that a healthy work situation does not develop only due to the absence of negative factors, but can be achieved by promoting positive characteristics. In an attempt to include both positive and negative indicators of organizational well-being, the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model has been proposed and developed. Starting from a critical reflection on how the literature has changed the focus from the risk prevention to the well-being promotion, this paper aims to provide an overview of the main theoretical assumptions of the JD-R model, the latest developments, and the practical implications for intervention within the organization.

Attraverso un’analisi della letteratura, dei trend socio-demografici e legislativi e dei dati Cranet, questo lavoro esplorativo cerca di rispondere alla crescente domanda di una visione del diversity management (DM) che ne valorizzi le specificità contestuali sulla base dell’analisi delle caratteristiche culturali e istituzionali dei paesi in cui queste pratiche vengono applicate. Questo saggio si propone, infatti, di individuare le motivazioni delle possibili convergenze e divergenze nel DM in cinque paesi europei - Italia, Francia, Germania, Svezia e Regno Unito - considerando congiuntamente la prospettiva culturale e istituzionale. In particolare, esaminando l’adozione di alcune pratiche (selezione, formazione e percorsi di carriera) e le principali tipologie di diversità oggetto di attenzione in termini di DM (genere, minoranze etniche, disabilità, giovani, senior, lavoratori low-skilled) nei cinque paesi analizzati, viene proposto un modello concettuale che spiegherebbe alcune convergenze nell’applicazione del DM partendo da situazioni di contesto differenti. Il modello proposto ipotizza la presenza di tre diversi driver che porterebbero le organizzazioni presenti nei vari paesi ad adottare pratiche di DM con alcune specifiche modalità. Il primo driver è costituito dalla pressione normativa e legislativa in tema di uguaglianza e pari opportunità. I paesi caratterizzati da una lunga tradizione legislativa in materia, come ad esempio la Svezia e il Regno Unito, vedrebbero il DM come una forma di rispetto degli obblighi previsti dalla normativa vigente e non come una modalità di gestione che può apportare benefici al business. Lo stesso discorso è applicabile a più ampio spettro anche al tema della disabilità, laddove nella maggior parte dei casi le azioni di DM verso questo target group hanno la sola finalità di assolvere agli obblighi di legge rispettando le quote di assunzioni previste. Il secondo driver è invece legato ai cambiamenti demografici e alle influen, Through a critical review of the scientific literature and the analysis of Cranet data on the adoption of diversity management (DM) practices, this exploratory paper discusses cultural and institutional factors that influence the way in which DM practices are adopted and specific target groups are addressed in five European countries (Italy, France, Sweden, Germany and UK). It emerged that three different drivers lead organizations to adopt DM practices in a specific way according to some contextual peculiarities. The first one is the legislative and regulatory pressure in terms of equality and equal opportunities. The countries showing a long tradition of legislation on equal opportunities interpret DM as a form of legal compliance and not as a management method. The same is also true for disability, where in most cases the DM’s actions towards this target group are exclusively intended to meet law obligations. The second driver is connected to demographic change and cultural influences. In particular, despite having a very divergent economic and employment contexts, Italy and Germany are similar on some specific cultural dimensions (gender egalitarianism and power distance) and are both oriented towards managing gender issues and younger workers at the expense of older workers. The third driver is related to the lack of knowledge and skills in the local labor market that brings companies to attract skilled labor force from abroad and to retrain low-skilled workers

In recent years, exploring factors that influence the consumer adoption of mobile payment has received increasing attention by academics and practitioners. Understanding the determinants of consumer acceptance of mobile payment will provide important theoretical contributions to the topic and lead to the development of more effective mobile payment devices and systems. This paper aims to increase the knowledge in this area of research trying to identify the main factors that influence the consumer adoption of mobile payment in local public transport services. We collect data by a sample of 3,510 consumers of the local public transport in Milan and we analyze them using multiple regression. Our results show that 1. the ease of use and usefulness of these system of payment and the presence of other distribution channels are key variables influencing the adoption; 2. the perceived risk is a barrier to adoption; 3. the cost does not have significant impact

The paper analyzes some topics, in particular the characteristics of the fundamental right to health (art. 32, Cost. It.). The focus will bel given, with bioethics and theoretical legal tools, to the relationship between the rights of the legal system in these times of serious economic and social crisis and the shortage of resources allocated to the implementation of these rights. The analysis will help to show some of the problems of today and the new critical issues that could occur tomorrow, especially for the conditions and guarantees of a fundamental right among the most important

Negli ultimi anni i managers e gli studiosi di marketing hanno mostrato un crescente interesse nella misurazione delle attività di content marketing per ottenere vantaggio competitivo. Nonostante ciò in letteratura si annoverano ancora pochi contributi sul tema. Il paper intende: 1) analizzare la letteratura esistente sul concetto di content marketing e sulle principali metriche per la sua misurazione; 2) esaminare, sia a livello aggregato che per classe dimensionale, area geografica e settore di attività, il grado di utilizzo delle strategie e delle metriche di content marketing tramite uno studio comparativo cross-country tra imprese italiane e inglesi.

L’engagement dei pazienti è riconosciuto come un elemento essenziale per la qualità dei servizi per le patologie croniche. Il contributo si propone di esplorare le dinamiche socioorganizzate che favoriscono l’engagement dei pazienti e la loro trasformazione da consumatori passivi di cura a partner. Sarà presentata una ricerca collaborativa, realizzata con due servizi di un grande ospedale del Nord Italia, in cui pazienti e personale sanitario hanno cooperato per valutare e riorientare i percorsi diagnostico-terapeutici verso processi di lavoro partecipati centrati sul paziente. Strumenti di analisi delle pratiche sono stati l’analisi proattiva del rischio clinico (HFMEA) e l’analisi psicosociale degli snodi decisionali, applicati nell’ambito di focus group misti (pazienti, medici, infermieri, psicologi, assistenti sociali). I risultati hanno consentito di evidenziare l’intrecciarsi di aspetti clinici e organizzativi nelle rappresentazioni della natura dell’engagement e la sua caratterizzazione come un processo oscillante e instabile. Inoltre, attraverso l’analisi del processo d’indagine, è stato possibile identificare assunti e valori professionali che rischiano di dar vita ad una partecipazione apparente. La ricerca offre indicazioni per la progettazione di pratiche di gestione collaborativa dei percorsi di cura., Patient engagement is recognized as essential for the quality of services for chronic diseases. The paper aims to explore the socio-organizational dynamics associated with the promotion of patients' engagement and their transformation from passive consumers of medical services to partner. We present a collaborative study conducted with two health care services of a large hospital in Northern Italy, where patients and healthcare personnel cooperated to evaluate and reorient the clinical pathways towards participated processes centered on the patient. Practices were analyzed through a revised version of proactive analysis (HFMEA) and the psycho-social analysis of decision nodes of the clinical pathway, applied in the context of focus groups with mixed composition (patients, physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers). Results revealed different representations of the nature of engagement and its nature as a changing and unstable process. In addition, the study highlighted professional assumptions and values that can give rise to an apparent participation. The study offers indications for designing collaborative practices in managing clinical pathways.

This is a methodological paper, where the author analyses a practice of educational qualitative research, experimented in different contexts of professional development, using auto/biography and creative writing as a method to investigate care, caring experiences, and the story of subjects who are involved in processes of care, as patients as well as carers. This method is effective not only for individual subjects, but for communities of practitioners, to develop new understandings and skills.

This paper presents a two-step analysis based on the new Piaac data (Programme for the International Assesment of Adult Population). Specifically: a) a study of the effects of ascriptive variables (as gender, parents' education, etc.) on educational attainment in four age cohorts (born from 1946 to 1955, from 1956 to 1965, from 1966 to 1975 and from 1976 to 1985) aimed to produce an overview of the structure of educational inequalities over time; b) an analysis of the effect of the educational level when testing proficiency in reading skills (controlled by ascriptive variables and educational attainment). Thanks to the Piaac data features (which not only include background variables and the educational level, but also cognitive skills), this study aims to explore the advantage linked to the different educational levels on reading skills in the four age cohorts. Another goal of this essay is to analyse the influence of the ascriptive variables over the relationship between educational level and cognitive skills, in particular evaluating the effect of each of these indipendent variables and their dynamic over the time

The paper empirically investigates gross job flows and the growth patterns of limited liability companies in Italy in 1996-2004, using original data on workforces and other company traits. The analysis shows that the phenomenon of regression to the mean only partially explains the tendency of small firms to grow at a faster pace than large organizations. The analysis of gross job flow indicates that the extent of job creation and job destruction shrunk in the aftermath of the economic downturn in 2001 and that the labour market was less efficient in allocating job opportunities. The econometric analysis shows that size has a negative impact on the net employment growth of a company, even though the negative correlation disappears among units with more than twenty-four employees. Firms with a history of maximum fourteen years outperform the average firm in the sample, while, conversely, the growth of companies is not influenced by their age if these have been in business for fifteen years or more, in fact it can even be a burden among the oldest firms in the sample

The goal of this paper is to present a theory of action for guiding professional practice in reversing the cycle of exclusion in education. Our theory is based on twenty years of intervention and action research in Israeli schools that serve pupils who have the ability to succeed but fall into chronic failure and severe behavioral problems. Over the years, these students have been termed marginal, deprived, underachievers, and at risk. Our research led to a breakthrough, when we learned to reframe these problems in terms of social exclusion. This framing enabled us to see that educators working with these students experience exclusion as well. We discovered that exclusion from mainstream education evolves as a system of interlocking cycles of exclusion involving students, school staff, and the school’s institutional environments. By shifting from a deficit model to a systemic approach, this framing also guides practice by placing the focus of intervention on changing relationships rather than fixing individuals