RISULTATI RICERCA

The essay presents the results of an empirical research on a sample of eleven couples of non-married young people. The aim is to understand the concrete possibility of a "pure relationship", as the English sociologist Anthony Giddens calls it. The author understand pure relationships as virtualizations of traditional marital relationships: only this level of non-reality can give the couples the chance of living together without facing the risks that are inherent to the marriage and the breaking up.

This essay introduces readers to a fundamental issue: the culture of contemporary western societies in its mainstream generally assumes a "purely conventional", i.e. radically non foundational, approach to everything that is "universal". The author questions the idea that this cultural selection should be considered as an unproblematic result of late modernity. He first puts modern "universalism" in historical perspective, in order to show that construction and de-construction of universal and/or universalistic practices, institutions and normative orientations in western societies amounts to a continuous and non-linear morphogenetic process following complex socio-cultural "cycles". He then tries to identify examples of "universalizing" processes with regard to different social circles and sub-systems. Universalizing networks from this perspective can be divided in two general classes: those implying a purely rational-communicative approach, and those comprising a "multidimensional, local and historical" relationality. The author tries to provide a first and basic profile to the latter, and to discuss analogies and differences vis-à-vis the others.

This essay tries to understand modern political and legal culture by interpreting the meaning of the right to privacy in relationship with the liberal idea of the neutral State in American constitutional and federal jurisprudence. The authors understand the political consequences of the right to privacy as privatization (as in the free exercise clause and the disestablishment clause) or generalization (as in the equal access clause). They rely on Talcott Parsons’ interpretation of American values to show the importance of individualism and universalism in American culture. The case of homosexual people’s right to marry is analyzed to show how different spheres of society are differently open to individual choice.

In this essay G. Teubner considers the effects of functional differentiation in complex societies on the nature and effectiveness of contract. The author claims that contract in complex societies can no more be conceived of as the simple result of the converging will of two individuals or "parties". As a result of this, the unity of contract, i.e. its binding force, simply vanishes. The author suggests that this may result both from the empirical dynamics of functionally differentiated societies and from the theoretical deficit of systems theory The latter can provide very good observations about the inner dynamics of systems, but is blind to relationships among them. Teubner therefore argues that sociology needs to develop an alternative approach. This "new" approach should in fact be "orthogonal" to systems’ theory, in order to observe its blind spot: this means it should be focused on inter-systemic relationships.

This essay understands the development of subjective rights as a part of the process of functional differentiation of society. Subjective rights are based on the complementarity of expectations, and seem to protect the individual form State power while guaranteing him all the benefits of the Welfare State. In fact, the subjective culture of rights was needed to hide the fact that modern law has no foundations and to help its differentiation from religion, politics and solidarity. Today modern law can stand by itself without having to point to any external foundation, including the subject himself.

The progress of modern society continues to significantly condition family life. Non-stop working hours have reduced to a minimum the time traditionally dedicated to eating lunch, together with the role of women working outside the home and the new schooling structure. These are the main causes that have favoured eating outside the family context. This sector, demand for which is forecast in further expansion, is characterised by a high degree of competitiveness with companies increasingly targeting their efforts to offering timesaving, service-oriented benefits, to product differentiation and to reducing costs. The result is that competition is tough for traditional meal channels such as trattorias and restaurants that are forced to invest in quality to avoid loosing excessive market share. Today’s family is less numerous and less patriarchal; lunch is no longer the main family meal of the day, which has been replaced by dinner, very often the only moment that all family members are reunited during the working period. During weekends and holidays, the greater free time available means that traditions are in part recuperated.

In today’s society the issue of the environment and respect for nature is gaining in significance and awareness with consumers. The Common market codes, starting from 1990, regarding the question of food safety, together with the recent food scandals has highlighted the consumer need for healthier foods produced with methods respecting the environment. Hand in hand with this, there is a new consumer demand for alternative forms of tourism in contact with nature to recuperate from the frenetic rhythms of city life. In this context, the idea of developing the area in question, the Parco delle Madonie, (Madonie Park) is both sustainable and attractive given the noteworthy natural landscape that still exists, in addition to the beauty spots, the fact that it is not too distant from the coast, the plentiful tourist hospitality infrastructures, the numerous heritage sites and venues that could be exploited at a productive, social and environmental level. These goals can be achieved by introducing recreational activities such as hunting, sports fishing and hiking or trekking, as well as other leisure interests and by offering the possibility for engaging in other hobbies, all targeted to developing alternative forms of tourism. Just to name a few, farmstead tourism, hunting and fauna related activities, as well as sustainable agriculture in tune with new consumer needs, with the new programmed development and the concept of environmental tourism also promoted at a Community level.

The article explains the discount diffusion in Italy during the nineties, that was encoruaged by the loss of family income and the fall of Gross National Product. Moreover, in those years, it’s possible to find the sign of diffuculties of the local traditional product in staying in the market, face off with the northern Europe products. In fact, the German and France distribution channels came in Italy, exporting the discount formula, and fighting the tradional italian way of food distribution. After several years of strong market conflict, it’s now possibile to see a different market scenario. The discount has been going down since the middle of the decade, and others distribution channels are starting tto stay on the market. This little market revolution was caused by the important consumer attention to food quality, that starts the latest years and that was related with the growing income and the quality consumption needs. At the end, it’s interesting to note that some demand ratio still remains interested in food low price offer, that is guarenteed by discount. After all, it’s reasonable think that only a little part of the market will remain interestd in cheap food discount offer.

The wine tourism is a particular way to spend holidays, and also a mind attitude that pushes to know a territory with all its traditions, its typical products, the landscape amenities, and the cultural and historical patrimony. This way "Roads of wine" were born. The paper reports the results of a recent survey about the current situation in Sicily, region where this phenomenon seems to be in an upward trend. Moreover, the research aims to adopt a methodological approach in order to assess the potentiality of farms to become part of a "wine roads" project. In other words, it represents an attempt to evaluate both the level of attractiveness that a route might have over an average tourist and the rispondence of farms to some minimum standards required in order to comply with its role in the route itself. In order to achieve the above aim a multicriterial approach was adopted, in order to take into account simultaneously the diversified aspects involved in the analysis, both in quantitative and qualitative terms. The application to the case study "Alcamo DOC" has pointed out that the farms surveyed along the route are, on average, far below a sufficient level of reliability and therefore they are not able to provide the minimum set of "wine related" services demanded by visitors. More in detail, the analysis has shown that the deficiencies mainly concern the aspects considered as fundamental requisites for a farm in the applicative regulations of Tuscany and Italian law. In conclusion, the current situation of the "roads of wine" in Sicily seem to be more virtual than real, in spite of all the efforts produced by the "Istituto Regionale Vite e Vino" and by other regional boards which have proved to be interested in the development of this initiative.

The Common Market Organization (CMO) for processed tomatoes, set firstly in 1978, is currently based on Regulation No 2201/96 which provides a system of production aid granted whithin a limit of quota to processors who have paid producers a price for raw materials not less than a fixed minimum annually set by the Commission. Production exceeding quota receives aid if is paied at the minimum price, otherwise does not receive aid but it is not penalised. In this article we firstly describe in detail the actual scheme of CMO, then we try to evaluate his application in Italy, the first producer of processed tomatoes in EU and the second in the world, after US. Goals of CMO don’t seem fully realised. Minimum price produce market distorsions. Quota mechanisms are set in a way which force both processors and producers to contract annually quantities exceeding limits of the proceeding years just to avoid the reduction of future quotas via the allowance coefficient but not following the market demand. For the same reason, contracts concluded between POs and producers fail to settle production and to produce raw material according to the processors demand. External pressures to the UE (namely from the WTO) and the internal budget will lead to a CMO reform, claimed also by processors and producers even if with different position. Recently the European Commission presented a proposal to amend the Common Market Organization which introduce relevent changes into the actual scheme. This is because of some shortcomings that should addressed urgently, first of all aimed to rationalise and simplify the arrangements scheme and to adapt the production thresholds to the market demand.

The late scandals regarding food caused an increased request of safety by a growing number of consumers, who more and more decide to buy organic agricultural produce. This paper analyses the phenomenon of the use of organic food in public service, that is particularly diffused in Italy and it is especially growing in public school lunches, as well as it is also interesting to evaluate what it is happening within other significative areas. The research examines some of the late analysis regarding trends and attitudes of organic food consumers, it also provides a study of the trading places where to get access to it, as well as an evaluation of the range of the phenomenon that concerns the use of organic food in public school lunches in Italy. The study outlines the possible benefit related to the likely increase of organic food consumption in public canteens and school lunches (improved safety and health benefit to consumers), and its effect on local socio-economic development, it concludes with the results of a research done in Palermo and in its province, the research aims to estimate the extent of the demand in case of use of organic food in public school lunches and public canteens.

Goat-ewe’s milk cheeses are traditional food products of antique origin, characterized by low volumes on offer and, therefore, excluded from the global market. These products also come up against serious difficulties at the local level where they are always underrated because of the lack of a commercial organization for the producers and, in particular, because the offer is not concentrated. When Italian goat-ewe’s milk cheeses arrive on the market, they are left to themselves and their prices fall. Industrial products, on the other hand, have the advantage of sales promotion and their prices rise. The long-term danger is that the producers, underpaid for their sacrifices, will give-up stock farming.

The paper aims to illustrate the trends of the Gross Agricultural Product for the horticultural sector of the regions in southern Italy, these crops playing a significant role in the agro-food sector both at national and regional level. The raw data, provided by INEA, refer to the 1980-1996 period, and in particular to the three-year periods 1980-1982 and 1994-1996. They have been processed by means of the “Shift and Share Analysis”, a technique which has been adopted in past works dealing both with the agricultural and forestry sector in Italy. The analysis has been carried out by using both current and constant (year 1988) prices. In view of the disaggregation of the regional growth into three different components (national growth, structure and regional growth), the results obtained are quite diversified, also due to the high number of regions involved and to the wide set of crops included. On a whole, both from the analysis at current and at constant prices a picture emerged where some regions, such as Calabria, Sardinia, Sicily and Puglia, reported satisfying values of the components, whereas for all the remaining ones just slightly positive or even negative results were derived. In conclusion, information obtained from the analysis, not without theoretical and practical limitations, may, however, provide useful indications on the guidelines to be followed in the field of regional agricultural policies addressed towards the horticultural sector.

Nowadays the environmental risk is a very topic subject at the light of evidences of possible or certain harms for the human health. The environmental risk is strictly associated to the food risk and to environmental damage that has determined the production of foods contaminated by polluted substances. Also the so-called "novel food", resulting of the technological innovation, the new economy perspectives and, above all, the genetic engineer, may be a possible risk for the environment and human health. The alimentary safety concept, empathised by the European Union, surpasses all the other necessities and it has to be the primary requirement demanded by the customer. Consequentially, the quality concept, as global quality of the product and environmental quality of process and product, assumes a very wide importance. In the environmental quality definition, it has to be considered and evaluated the possible risks linked to environmental contamination constituted by heavy metals, artificial fertilisers, hormonal residues, as well as microbiological contamination caused by the absence of the hygienic procedures during the whole producing process. The scientific uncertainly determines the precaution need when the risk is foreseen. The precaution principle requests a preliminary estimation of the risks and benefits associated a new technology, whose effects are not sufficiently known.