RISULTATI RICERCA

The aim of this essay is to deepen understanding of family background’s impact on children’s social categorisation practices. Indeed, children’s social categorisation practices have been widely studied in many countries worldwide, but the impact of family background remains poorly researched. Drawing on Bourdieu’s notion of primary habitus, it has been possible to observe what happens when children use their incorporated dispositions to categorise. To achieve this aim, ninety-six families (96 first-grade children as well as their parents) were interviewed using photo-elicitation. A questionnaire was also used to reconstruct the families’ socio-economic and cultural profiles. Thanks to mixed-methods analytic approach it has been possible to highlight the relevant impact of family context on children’s social categorisation practices. Family’s education level, nationality and some cultural practices play an important role on child categorisation.

In the last 30 years, Chile has experienced an accelerated process of population aging. Currently 15.6% of Chileans are elderly and projections estimate that in 2025 they will be 20% of the population. Quality of life in old age is a major concern in Chilean society. Therefore, the State, public and private institutions, academia and the elderly themselves have begun work on programs and initiatives that improve current conditions. This article aims to present an overview of the quality of life of older people in Chile, from its National Survey on the Quality of Life in Old Age, sheding light on future challenges for the country.

L’Istituto Lombardo Accademia di Scienze e Lettere ha organizzato tre convegni a cadenza annuale sotto il titolo generale “Chimica, società e ambiente”, dedicati rispettivamente a La Chimica nella sfida energetica (ottobre 2022), La sfida chimica e ambientale (ottobre 2023), Chimica, agricoltura e alimentazione sostenibili (ottobre 2024). Con questi incontri si è inteso fare il punto, da un rigoroso punto di vista scientifico, sullo stato dell’arte della ricerca chimica in campo energetico e ambientale e sulle prospettive concrete di tempi, costi e modi di realizzazione di possibili soluzioni, anche in vista del considerevole aumento della popolazione mondiale previsto nei prossimi anni. Il presente volume raccoglie alcuni dei contributi conferiti nei primi due convegni del ciclo.

China’s economic development encompasses an improvement of its technological basis and an increasing share in the global trade of high-tech goods. Regarding the velocity of development, though, it is questionable as to the extent to which China has become an equal competitor for developed countries (DC) specialized in R&D-intensive goods. In this paper, we retrace China’s technological catching-up process and attempt to analyze the implications for Germany as one of the largest exporters in this sector. By means of selected indicators of technological input (e.g. publications, FDI purposes) and trade performance (revealed comparative advantage, inter- and intra-industrial trade, unit value) we complement the analysis with a quality dimension. Our results indicate that although China has recently succeeded Germany as the world export leader in high-tech goods, its expansion has not occurred at the cost of Germany’s position. However, this finding is not applicable to the US, which has lost quality advantages relative to both China and Germany, thus indicating that Germany might be a special case in an international comparison.

The European Union (EU) is not only China’s biggest trading partner but also a crucial destination for Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI). During the past 15 years, Chinese FDI transactions have gained momentum, coinciding with the "Going Abroad", "Going Global" and "Belt and Road" strategies. During the post-financial crisis, the EU became the fastest growing destination for Chinese FDI triggered by a friendly investment environment and the undervaluation of forcefully privatized assets. Investments in the EU Low Carbon Energy Technologies (LCET) sector reflect a commercial and political strategy led by the Chinese government, promoting sustainable energy development as well as securing the privileged position of state-owned energy companies. Chinese state-backed companies account for a large share of FDI transactions LCET in the EU. The recently adopted "Made in China 2025" strategy gives grounds for expecting an increase in strategically motivated FDI. The increase in investment has fuelled the debate whether the EU possess sufficient policy instruments to protect national and supranational interests and to control FDI.

Using the specialize literature on organized crime, the first part of the article defines the main questions concerning Chinese criminal groups operating in Italy. The second takes into account the principal illegal markets in which these criminal players are involved, their internal connections, and their capability to infiltrate Chinese communities. The conclusions give insights to answering the following questions: Can Chinese organized crime be encompassed within Mafia type associations? Which forms of infiltration are used by criminal players within the context of the Chinese community?

A crucial aspect of the Chinese presence in Africa is the employment of transnational Chinese workers in the growing number of Chinese public and private enterprises. This paper stems from dissatisfaction with the rift between studies of Chinese workers in Africa, studies of Chinese state-sponsored globalization, and recent conceptualizations of transnational labor mobility. This rift has prevented the foregrounding of the simultaneous and co-produced movement of capital, firms, machinery and workers from China to Africa within Chinese government’s globalization strategies. I address this gap by bringing different literatures and approaches into dialogue. I engage in theoretical debates. I ruffle prevailing conceptualizations of transnational labor mobility in relation to capital mobility and methodological approaches that focus solely on receiving states. My central argument is that the mobility of workers from China to Africa should be discussed as a new mobility pattern.

L’articolo delinea il ruolo innovatore di Baldo Rossi, primario dell’Ospedale Maggiore di Milano, nella Grande guerra, partendo dal contesto sanitario milanese prebellico e seguen- done le trasformazioni durante il conflitto. Rossi si interessò soprattutto ai feriti cavitari (cranio, torace, addome). Gli addominali a inizio guerra non venivano operati per la morta- lità troppo elevata. I chirurghi si divisero in astensionisti e interventisti. Rossi, convinto che si trattasse di un problema organizzativo, ideò, realizzò e diresse gli ospedali chirurgici mobili della Croce Rossa milanese, vere cliniche chirurgiche trasportate su camion, da in- stallare nelle immediate retrovie. Sulla sua idea la sanità militare realizzò sette analoghe Ambulanze Chirurgiche d’Armata. I risultati migliorarono enormemente raggiungendo una sopravvivenza del 38%, negli addominali operati, con effetto trascinante sugli altri ospedali da campo e importanti ricadute sulla chirurgia di pace. Le unità mobili furono una delle novità sanitarie più interessanti della guerra.