SEARCH RESULTS

Mosque building scar - The possibility to build mosques or to use already existing buildings as places for the cult of Muslim still turn out a problem without solution in Italy. Without an agreement between the State and the Muslim communities, the matter is remitted to the local institutions that often do not give the authorizations for bureaucratic quibbles, but in reality in order not to have to face the protests of the local population, bewildered and alarmed. The bill in parliament that we illustrate here, proposed by a political party that has made of the fear towards the strangers one of its warhorses, reveals, above all in the premise, a vision distorted and instrumental of the Islamic religion from which a number of dispositions derive that treat the mosques as unhealthy and threatening places to isolate: instead of establishing rules finalized to guarantee a fundamental right in harmonious form in the territory is strengthened the idea of two worlds strangers and parallels that must remain separate and distant.

Keywords mosques, Islam, places of cult, social rights, integration.

"EURO-STIL" The story of a Moldovan transnational family - This study analyses the impact of migration on the family roles in Moldova and the changing dynamics within transnational families. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the economic collapse of the 1990s, hundreds of thousands of Moldovans have left their country over the past decade to seek opportunities abroad. The mass migration has become the dominant socio-economic phenomenon of the country and has prompted the redefinition of family structure and ideology.

Keywords Etnography, Family, Transnationalism, Eastern Europe, Remittances

The migration of a large number of women leads to a reorganization of the division of labour and the gender roles within the transnational family. These changes can influence communities as well as families. Taking a closer look at the transnational experience of a family in the rural context of Pîrlita, a village near the Romanian border, the study explores the migrants' consumption desires and practices as reflective not only of commodified exchange but also of affection and sentiment.

Keywords Etnography, Family, Transnationalism, Eastern Europe, Remittances

"Between inclusion and exclusion"? Scholastic path of migrant origin youth in the Italian High School - In the last few years, the Italian migra-tory setting has been characterised by an increasing presence of second generation young migrants, most of them in the school. Their educational integration has been studied mostly referring to the processes of cultural inclusion in the receiving society, with a minor attention on the achievement. We will try to describe the young migrants’ educational paths in the high school, that - in case of failure - could represent the starting point of social and occupational marginalization, or, if they are succeeding, it could represent the first step of intergenerational mobility. Starting from the most relevant theories on the school achievement of the migrant children, we will examine the concept of human, cultural and social capital as a factor influencing the differences in the educational outcomes: we will also ana-lyse the concept of ethnic capital, and its particular characteristics in Ecuadorian migrants. A research run in Genoa in the school year 2006/07 with two samples of youth in high secondary school, one of second generation Ecuadorians, one of Ital-ians with the same characteristic, allows to better understand differences and com-munalities in the educational paths.

Keywords Social capital, human capital, school achievement, socialization, second generations.

Arranged marriage within British Pakistani and Bangladeshi communi-ties. Cultural tradition and socio-religious dimension - The issue of ar-ranged marriage, within South-Asian communities in Britain, has been studied considering the different transformations that during the years have happened from one generation to another. This issue has been very debated, in English language many research and studies exist, which analyze it from different perspectives: so-cial, cultural, economic and religious. In fact, the arranged marriage is the ground on which the third generation of Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, brought up in Brit-ain, values its independence and emancipation from the traditional socio-cultural norms of the old generation. From a religious perspective, the consanguineous ar-ranged marriage has no one proof into the Quran, which enumerates only the as-cendants and the offspring with whom consanguineous marriage is banned. Thus, who has used the Islamic religion to justify this kind of marriage has tried to im-pose a choice which found, into the religion, its legitimacy. At the present time, the young British Pakistani and Bangladeshi women try to make in move a process which begins from Islam (through a study and an individual interpretation of the Islamic sources) and which finds in Islam its legitimacy, to try to separate the tradi-tional socio-cultural dimension from the religious one.

Keywords: mi-gration, South Asia, arranged marriage, endogamy, tradition, islam.

Genitorialità a distanza: reciprocità e migrazione senegalese - Though the migratory experience offers opportunities for new kinds of practices, traditions, and family dynamics to develop, it also often replicates patterns and codes of behavior that already exist in the mi-grant’s home culture. Senegalese migrants residing in Italy, as in other parts of the diaspora, tend to send their children to be raised by relatives in Senegal. Their motives are various and sundry: some cite the economic benefits, others the desire for the inculcation of Sene-galese values and Wolof language, still others the reluctance to have their children grow up "spoiled" as they view Italian children. For these reasons and others, Senegalese parents rarely raise their chil-dren in Italy, opting instead to leave them behind with relatives in Senegal. Yet this practice among Senegalese parents long predates contemporary Senegalese migration to Europe. Instead it follows a longstanding custom of receiving young family members into the home that draws on the fundamental Senegalese value of teranga, of-ten translated inadequately as hospitality. Teranga turns on the idea that the mother who hosts a visitor ensures that her children will find help and welcome whenever they need it. Senegalese families are duty-bound to accept even distant relatives into their homes for short, long and undetermined periods of time without question. When em-ployment or scholastic opportunities are presumed to be better in a different part of Senegal in which a relative resides, Senegalese need not think twice about presenting themselves to those relatives with full assurance of being offered a place to stay. In the migrant context, this kind of teranga works both ways. Though migrants abroad must be ready to receive their relatives in the host country at a moment’s notice, they may also send home their children to be reared without fear of imposition. Thus the concept of parent-ing from afar and children "left behind" among the Senegalese is by no means an outgrowth of contemporary migratory practices. Instead it reflects a core Senegal-ese value and extends a practice that long predates Senegal’s migratory history. This paper will highlight how care arrangements for children are organized in this particular Senegalese context of teranga, and how children of migrants experience the separation from their parents.

Keywords family dynamics, second generations, tradition, socialization processes

"Maybe tomorrow I get married...". Social organisation, symbolic and imagi-nary aspects of Romanian migrant families - In this article, the migrant family is analyzed from several points of view: on the one hand, as a cluster of ties, practices and social relations; on the other hand, as a symbolic creation. In rural Romania, family embodies the basic social aggregate: it is the unit of economic production, as well as the main source of affection and individual identities. Build-ing a family represents a major step in the transition to adulthood: today as well as in the past, to young Romanians migration represents the means to accumulate the resources the new family unit needs. Over the years, this process has become more and more complex because of the changes occurred in the social, economic and political conditions of the arrival context. In Italy, the young Romanian migrants experience new ties, new residential solutions and new forms of sociality. They must cope with different conceptions: the way family is conceived in the leading Romanian thought, the ideas Romanians have acquired about Italian family, and, vice versa, the images Italian people have developed about Romanian family. The negotiations and growing distances, the strives and mediations that mark the en-trance in adult life, are placed in the social transnational space between Romania and Italy.

Keywords Family; Migration; Romania; Social representa-tions; Transnationalism

Coppie miste di oggi. La mixité sentimentale nell’Italia del nuovo millennio - Cross-cultural couples are one of the most important indica-tor of integration between natives and immigrants living within the same territory. This is an emergent phenomenon today in Italy.Using the data of some researches conducted by the author from 2003 to 2008, this article sketches out the profiles and the family life of cross-cultural couples formed by an Italian wife/husband and an immigrant partner: the first encounter, the beginnings of the relationship, the decision to live together and to marry, the family’s and friends’ reactions, the differences that create problems and/or opportunities in the private life.

Keywords Cross-cultural couples, mixed marriages, migra-tion, family

How can mothering be practised at a distance? On the life trajectories, per-sonal expectations and practices underlying transnational motherhood in Italy - Abstract Transnational caregiving, i.e. the ongoing affectional and material care relationships between migrant parents and children left behind, has gained increas-ing salience in international literature. The paper builds on the results of one of the first empirical investigations on the topic in Italy. The biographical experience of transnational mothers is approached within a local immigration context (the prov-ince of Trento). Relevant insights are thus provided on four areas of concern: the origin and the development of migration processes; the relationships with the motherland and the forms of transnational caregiving; the relationships with local communities, and the networks migrants rely on, in the context of settlement; the personal experiences of transnational motherhood and the future life expectations. Besides making sense of the differences in transnational parenthood stemming from national origins, and from the structuration of migration systems, the paper copes with a key question: to what extent, and under which conditions, can rela-tionships of "proximity at distance" be fungible with those drawing on physical proximity? What is lost and what is retained in the bond between dear ones - in terms of exchanging information, affections and material resources - once it cannot rely on physical co-presence?

Keywords Female migration - Migrant mothers - Transnational caregiving - Transnational family life - Care work.

From urbanism to "governo del territorio": new guidances of planning and urban policies - This article aims to explain the implicit complexity of planning, a notion which has been recently defined in Italy by the expression "governo del territorio". It is divided into three parts. The first describes the evolution of planning in Europe throughout a century of history: from the modernist urbanism to the comprehensive planning, from the decision making evolution up to the recent forms of governance. The second sums up the latest fifty years of planning in Italy, which is undergoing today a complex and innovatory change. The third examines some keywords relating to cities and metropolitan areas. They refer to the recent notion of "governo del territorio", which calls for a redefinition of the relationship between the technical-instrumental dimension of urbanism (design oriented and based on new structural and operational plans) and the socio-political dimension of planning, responsible for the coordination of new urban policies and governance processes.

Keywords: Urbanism, Town planning, Urban and regional planning, Urban governance Parole chiave: Urbanistica, Pianificazione territoriale, Governo del territorio.

Labour Market and co-operative sector in Italy - This article describes the important role of the co-operative sector in the Italian labour market. We will present original data concerning the dimension of the co-operative sector, its structure and the trend of the productivity among the co-operative firms. The difference between the trend in the employment and in the productivity of co-operative firms and the correspondent data of the Italian economy, in general, gives a good chance to maintain an institutional approach for the study of the labour market and of the economic organization. In this context we will present a brief review of the literature refereed to labour organization, with some interpretations of the difference of the co-operative organisation. In particular, in order to give an explanation of the better performance of the co-operative firms, we will use non main stream models of the labour market, and we will refer to the institutional and legal diversity of the co-operatives, to the motivational factors and to the social capital endowment of the co-operative sector.

Keywords: labour market, co-operative firms, organisation, productivity, co-operative difference, institutions. Parole chiave: mercato del lavoro, imprese cooperative, organizzazione, differenza cooperativa, istituzioni.

Active ageing and health in Europe: the ActivAge project - This article the former provides an overview of the ageing process in progress in contemporary societies. The so-called "new demographic regime", characterized by low birth and mortality rates, is a global phenomenon and, as we know, it is particularly evident in Europe as a whole and especially in the four south European countries. Addresses the issue of active ageing as a decisive political solution to the problems of (un-)sustainability of welfare systems. Based on the results achieved by the project called ActivAge, the article outlines both the terms of a policy for active ageing and the paths and obstacles that emerge from a comparison between countries.

Keywords: Demographic transition, active ageing, health, health care, public policies. Parole chiave: invecchiamento demografico, anzianità attiva, salute, assistenza sanitaria, politiche pubbliche.

Contractual and social security work conditions of senior citizens: policies and activation operations - Within the research project Overcoming the barriers and seizing the opportunities for Active Ageing Policies in Europe, the Italian part being carried out by the IRPPS-CNR, there has been an in-depth study of the dynamics regarding population ageing and the social security system in Italy, in the light of the notion of activation - one of the main inspiring criteria of the European Employment Strategy. The paper presents comparative European research work that has highlighted the need to deal with the old age - social security link through an integrated group of diversified policies that consider above all employment policies, life schedules and social protection. The text furthermore presents nine European experiments of gradual retirement.

Keywords: Senior citizen workers, Social security, Welfare, Leave. Parole Chiave: Lavoratori Anziani, Previdenza, Welfare, Aspettative.

How to reconcile social solidarity and efficiency in the era of economic globalization: a point of view from the theory of regulation - The policy makers who seek a model that guide its efforts to reform national systems of social protection are faced with many tests that support the need to move from traditional welfare based on financial compensation of risk to incentive strategies to avoid the risks, especially those related to unemployment. This article proposes concepts and methods related to the régulation theory and the issue of social security coverage through the consideration of the national systems of social protection in a comparative and historical perspective and analyzing the evolution of social protection in France in the light of models of welfare, workfare and flexicurity

Keywords: welfare, organizations and institutional forms, solidarity and efficiency. Parole Chiave: sistemi nazionali di protezione sociale, organizzazioni e forme istituzionali, solidarietà ed efficienza.

The strategies of innovation. Survey on European patents of Italian firms - In international rankings on innovation Italy’s position is particularly weak. Is this image realistic? A recent survey on Italian firms that applied for European patents (EPO) between 1995 and 2004 casts some doubts on this ranking. The article describes the results of the survey and outlines the Italian geography of innovation. The key assumption of the study is that the "patenting potential" of firms and territories depends on their ability in the "social construction" of innovation. In other words, it depends on the effective integration between human and social capital of firms, on the one hand, and collective goods and resources from the local (and non-local) context, on the other. Research results show that: 1) the Italian system of innovation is less weak than usually believed, even in the high technology sectors, and especially in the central and northern regions; 2) in Italy, there are two different territorial and sectoral systems of innovation (the first system is that of mechanics, with its basis in the North-East-Centre; the second one is that of high technology, with its basis in the North-West); 3) these innovation systems are territorially concentrated; 4) what differentiates the most innovative local economic systems is the high endowment of collective goods and universities; 5) the Italian policies for innovation are inadequate, since they tend to neglect the relational and systemic components of innovation. .

Keywords: patents, innovation, high tech, innovative firms, innovation policies, local development
Parole chiave: brevetti, innovazione, alta tecnologia, imprese innovative, politiche per l’innovazione, sviluppo locale .

JEL Classification: Z13 - O31 - R11

Is Italian R&D spending becoming more efficient? - The recent economic downturn is putting increasing pressure on governments to improve the quality of their public finances. Using macro-economic data on R&D expenditures and patents, this paper aims to determine whether business and government R&D spending has become more efficient over time and in comparison to other EU countries. Descriptive evidence is coupled with empirical estimates of cross-country efficiency of R&D expenditure calculated by the Stochastic Frontier Analysis. .

Keywords: R&D, patents, efficiency, public finance
Parole chiave: R&S, brevetti, efficienza, finanza pubblica.

Jel Classification: O33 - H50 - C23

Companies owned by the largest Italian municipal councils: quality and efficiency in the provision of local public services - Calculation and comparison of quality and efficiency indicators in the provision of local public services have been a relatively neglected field of research in industrial economics. Even the regulatory bodies, if any, which supervise these sectors, have generally failed to construct rigorous and exhaustive databases, and therefore lack what would be an essential tool to exercise their power as regulators. An incomplete and unclear picture emerges, where what little available information there is, is to be found in the "charters of service" drawn up by the companies themselves using selfreferential codes and methodologies that are neither shared nor controlled. The lack of transparence in information terms often goes hand-in-hand with operating inefficiencies, which can be perpetrated more easily in the absence of suitable benchmarking activity. This article seeks to provide an account of an extensive research project to collect and compile quality and efficiency indicators which the Mediobanca Research Department has carried out on behalf of the Civicum Foundation with reference to local public service operators controlled by six of the leading Italian municipalities (Bologna, Brescia, Milan, Naples, Rome and Turin) between 2003 and 2007. .

Keywords: local public services, urban hygiene, mains water, electricity, quality, efficiency, municipality-owned companies
Parole chiave: servizi pubblici locali, igiene urbana, acquedotti, elettricità, qualità, efficienza, imprese a controllo comunale.

Jel Classification: L90 - L32

MNEs from emerging countries: Chinese investments in Italy This paper focuses on a recent phenomenon: the Chinese Go global policy, which encourages domestic firms to enter the global competition through active internationalization processes. At present, Chinese investments are still small compared to the world value of outward foreign direct investments, but it is interesting to focus on their trends and skyrocketing growth. The attention is drawn to the Italian case. Italy is still not playing a major role in Chinese companies’ internationalization strategies. Flows and stocks of investments are low and only a small number of companies is investing in Italy. But things are changing quickly. Italy is becoming increasingly interesting for Chinese companies aiming to acquire brands, knowledge and specific competencies, as well as strategic locations to penetrate European markets. The small dimension of the target companies (for acquisitions) encourage Chinese investors to come to Italy. Data on Chinese investments flows, on individual entrepreneurs, as well as on Chinese companies operating in Italy are discussed and analyzed to build a framework to test some preliminary hypotheses and to verify the interest for further research projects. .

Keywords: Go global policy; Chinese OFDIs; Chinese MNEs in Italy
Parole chiave: Go global; IDE cinesi in Italia; acquisizioni ed investimenti cinesi in Italia.

Jel Classification: O5 - F23