Social Support Systems In Rural Italy

This book examines the development of social support systems in the Modern age in the rural areas of the city-states of Northern Italy. This investigation achieves two main purposes: first, it allows researchers to understand the role occupied concretely by welfare and micro-credit activities in the political and socio-economic panorama of rural Northern Italy; secondly, it verifies to what extent the formation of a more or less structured support system influenced the establishment of local identity and the rooting of individuals. The book brings together perspectives from different fields of research ranging from economic and political history to the study of the history of ecclesiastical institutions, as well as integrating recent research on the anthropological value of welfare actions and the use of multiple historical sources. It considers how the retreat of the welfare activity of the State, associated with a depopulation of the rural areas of the peninsula and a steady increase of poverty into social fringes that were previously not affected by economic problems, pushes us to investigate more carefully the dynamics that in the Ancien Régime gave shape to the support activities against indigence and poverty. This book will be of interest to academics and students working in economic history and social history.

This publication provides detailed information on individual commitments, i.e. intended disbursements, of Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Official Aid (OA) to countries in Europe and Oceania for the years 2000 and 2001.

This volume collects the contributions presented at the conference “Data-driven Decision Making” organized by the Italian Association for Applied Statistics, held in Genoa from 12 to 14 September 2022. The papers cover a broad range of topics, with a common thread: the use of statistical methods to support decision-making both in public administrations and in private companies.

Sustainable development and rural policies have pursued strategies where farming has been often regarded as a factor deteriorating the ecosystem. But the current economic, social and environmental problems of the Earth probably call for examples of a positive integration between human society and nature. This research work presents more than a hundred case studies where the historical relationships between man and nature have generated, not deterioration, but cultural, environmental, social and economic values. The results show that is not only the economic face of globalization that is negatively affecting the landscape, but also inappropriate environmental policies. The CBD-UNESCO program on biocultural diversity, the FAO Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems and several projects of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations, as well as European rural policies acknowledge the importance of cultural values associated to landscape. This research intends to support these efforts.

This book provides a European dimension, examining and comparing the quality of life as experienced by older people in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK. Detailed case studies by well-known European authors consider key quality of life indicators such as income, housing, employment, physical and mental health, and family and social support. Examples of good practice are provided from each region, and recommendations are made for future priorities. A comparative introduction by the editor draws out key similarities and differences between the countries studied, and sets the context for the case studies. This book is aimed at advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students of social policy, social gerontology and sociology. It will also be of interest to academics and policy makers. Contributors: Monika Reichart; Manuela Weidekamp-Maicher;Giovanni Lamura; Annemarie Peters; Beitske Bouwman; Kees Knipscheer; Lars Andersson; Kristiina Martimo; Carol Walker; Alan Walker

A collection of essays pioneering new concepts in cross-cultural psychology based on the work of Philip E.Vernon, a pioneer of rigorous theory building and careful methodology. It includes empirical studies on aboriginals in Canada and infants in Japan, India, Jamaica and Britain.

The 2013 annual conference of the Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA) has been held in the attractive scenario of the city of Lecce under the organization of three different Universities of the Apulia Region (Università degli Studi di Bari, Università degli Studi di Foggia and Università del Salento). The scientific theme of the 50th SIDEA Conference has been “Sustainability of the agri-food system: Strategies and Performances” (Sostenibilità del Sistema Agroalimentare: strategie e performance). With such a topic, the SIDEA intended to cope with the challenges coming from a growing demand of food in a world where critical natural resources such as water, energy and land are becoming increasingly scarce and climate change is posing credible threats. The agri-food system and the broader bio-based economy are, in fact, human activities where the classic dimensions of sustainability (ecological, economic and social) are gaining a striking weight often showing evidence of frictions. Despite a significant growth in food production over the past century, today one of the most important challenges facing agro-food system is how to feed a growing population.