RISULTATI RICERCA

Territorial disparity and ambivalent development: the case study of Sicily The economic disparity between the North and South of Italy is one of the most studied subjects of economic sociology and a field of co-operation between different social sciences. Statistics, figures and results of the many studies about the economic transformations and the effects of incentive policies need to be considered in order to analyse the complex socio-economic scenario of South Italy and its relationship with the rest of the country. This is the objective of the present essay, which looks to the social and economic transformations in one region, Sicily, that in the last ten years has been little Sociologia del lavoro, n. 110/2008 focussed on and where the problems and characteristics of Southern Italy seem to be emphasised. Therefore the study considers the trend of some economic indices (Gdp, consumptions, investments, employment, productivity) and the effects of some incentive policies widely applied in the region (policies of negotial programming and policies of industrial clustering). Our analysis stresses the ambivalences of the Sicilian development and underlines the need to look at the role of public expenditure and regional development trends in a critical way.

Economic sociology and the study of inequalities The empirical evidence coming from the research on inequality provides important inputs for many socio-economic areas of study. It can be employed in the analysis of market economies and models of capitalism in the field of comparative political economy, in the institutional analysis of family building and social reproduction and in the study of social networks as approached by the new economic sociology. Economic sociology research on these issues proves particularly effective in identifying the generative mechanisms of inequality and detecting new research issues related to it. The paper illustrates the constructive exchange between research on inequality and economic sociology. The first and second sections deal with the connection between inequality and the models of capitalism; while the third and fourth sections concern respectively the analysis of social reproduction and the role of social network in economic life.

Differenziali retributivi regionali nelle piccole imprese italiane: il ruolo delle imprese artigiane Istat, Istituto Nazionale di Statistica* The role of Craft Activities in the Regional Wage Differentials within Small Italian Firms. The study analyses Italian craft firms because of their traditional and significant role among small firms in the Italian economy. A gap in statistical data on craft firm’s wages exists, in particular at a regional detail, despite their economic importance in the Italian labour market. This gap has become more evident since the extension of the competences of the regional level of wage bargaining. The study seeks to remedy this information gap by using the administrative data of the Italian Social Security National Institute (Inps), processed by the Istat Oros survey on employment, wages and social contributions. Taking account of the database’s information capacity, the study analyses the features that distinguish craft firms from other small firms (up to 40 employees). Special attention is paid to analysis of wage differentials between employees in craft activities and those in other small firms, in particular at regional level.