Life satisfaction in the time of COVID-19. The frog effect

Besides the physical and mental health problems it brought, the COVID-19 pandemic impinged on economic and social aspects of people's lives, threatening economic security and interpersonal relationships, aspects that are major determinants of perceived subjective well-being. We investigate the relationship between individual life satisfaction, and relational and material goods under the exceptional circumstance of the pandemic and lockdown in Italy. Unlike other studies, this paper examined whether COVID-19 infection and deterioration of economic and relational circumstances caused by COVID-19 can predict changes in individual life satisfaction, controlling for other contextual factors. The results suggest that the pandemic threatened the life satisfaction of respondents and the main predictor of this deterioration was related to the effect of the pandemic and lockdown on social relations. Aspects like gender, type of city and dwelling also emerged to be important predictors of LS. These findings have implications for social policies and urban planning, and offer additional insight in the research on LS

Contingent behavior and odor nuisances. The case of "Le Cortine" selection and composting plant in the Province of Siena

Recent regulation on waste fees establishes the change from tax to tariff to cover the total management cost of the collection and selection services. It does not consider the external costs (externalities). This causes a distortion in the system of relative prices. In this paper, we focus on one particular type of externality: the odour due to the waste treatment and we estimate the damage produced by a selection and composting centre. In the literature, we can find different hedonic price and contingent valuation studies that aim to estimate individual willingness to pay (WTP) to improve air quality reducing contaminants with (direct or indirect) effects on human health. However, few studies focus on reversible externalities, such as odour. This study intends to enrich the literature on this area. To the authors’ knowledge, it is the first attempt to estimate the WTP to reduce odour emissions due to a selection and composting centre. Considering the peculiarity of the case study, we produce our estimates with the relatively new method of Contingent Behaviour.Contingent Behaviour, odor nuisance, external effects.

Land consumption and income in Italy: a case of inverted EKC

The EKC hypothesis postulates that the relationship between economic growth and environmental deterioration is represented by an inverted U-shaped function. Its validity has been questioned from several perspectives and a need for public policies has been expressed. This paper uses a heuristic approach to analyze the relationship between per capita income and land consumption, as proxied by the number of Building Permits issued by public authorities. Using data from the Italian regions, we run a panel data regression model to test whether the EKC hypothesis holds. Results confute it, evidencing a U-shaped relationship. In the authors’ opinion, the combined effect of market conditions, lifestyle evolution and institutional and political factors have produced an adverse effect on environment. On this basis, the paper claims that, when social and intergenerational aspects are involved, a balanced mix of market, policies and institutional architecture is needed

Tourism development and residents’ well-being: Comparing two seaside destinations in Italy

There is now growing empirical evidence that tourism development affects residents’ attitudes to tourism and individuals’ perceived well-being. Building on previous studies, this article wishes to ascertain whether this phenomenon is common to different destinations or is site-specific. To this aim, a propensity score method is implemented. The empirical analysis is based on a two-step survey (pre-, and peak-tourism season) carried out in two seaside destinations in Italy where tourism is a major economic sector. While results demonstrate that residents’ happiness is endangered by tourism development, this article evidences that this stylized fact shows some peculiarities that are site-specific. It follows that socioeconomic and cultural characteristics, history and type of tourist development matter and have to be considered in developing any tourism policy

Happiness and tourism activities: an empirical and theoretical interpretation

In the recent decades, an increasing attention has been dedicated to tourism as a determinant of individuals happiness. The relationship between tourism and subjective well-being has been investigate in the framework of social capital formation. Empirical research evidenced that social capital contributes to people happiness. Since leisure activities allows people to build social relationships and expand their cultural perspective, tourism may powerfully permit to foster subjective well-being. However, there are a variety of forms of tourism and activities based on different motivations and reference values. Some of them just reproduce the everyday life while others facilitate relationships and connectedness. This paper tries to investigate and shed additional light on the relationship between type of tourism and tourists’ happiness. It tests empirically and explains theoretically whether more appreciative form of tourism pay a higher “return on investments” in term happiness

Park visitors vs beach tourists a comparative study in an italian coastal region

This study investigates and discusses the controversial question of whether nature- based tourists (NBTs) are more sensitive to socio-cultural and environmental resources, have different attitudes toward local products and more positive economic effects on host communities and destinations than beach tourists (BTs). In order to test these aspects, a simultaneous comparative analysis of these two types of tourist based on an a priori and activity-based segmentation was carried out. Data was collected by questionnaire at two sites in the Maremma (a costal area in southern Tuscany, Italy), each specific to the type of tourist investigated. In line with the findings of other studies, the results confirm that NBTs are older, more educated, more affluent, and more often employed in professional occupations than BTs. They also confirm the hypothesis that NBTs are more sensitive to environmental quality and have a more positive socio-economic impact. This study likewise highlights the strong role played by psychographic information in explaining tourist behavior. Three innovative findings concerning the relationship between income, education, personal commitment to the environment and tourist type are discussed at the end

An Algorithm for Optimal Pigouvian Taxes Without Benefits Data

The Pigouvian prescription to internalize external diseconomies and to achieve the optimum social equilibrium is well known: a unit tax on polluting activities equal to the marginal social damage arising at the after-tax optimal level of activity. If an authority imposes an effluent fee on emissions equal to the marginal social damage, the resulting equilibrium is Pareto-efficient. It has not been possible to translate the Pigouvian dictum into actual because of the problem of quantifying such a tax and its heavy subjective information requirements. This makes the monetary value of the damage difficult to determine. In order to overcome this difficulty, this paper develops a different theoretical approach. The main goal is to provide the environmental authority with an algorithm which allows policy-makers to base decisions on technical data (i.e. firms' production functions) rather than on subjective information (i.e. individuals' utility functions). The paper illustrates advantages offered by this approach, providing some theoretical and practical conditions useful in calculating the optimal tax

Un'analisi dell'efficienza aziendale agraria mediante la teoria dei processi produttivi

Dottorato di ricerca in economia e politica agraria. 8. ciclo. Relatori L. Rizzi, L. F. Punzo e A. Romagnoli. Coordinatore R. FanfaniConsiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Biblioteca Centrale - P.le Aldo Moro, 7, Rome; Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale - P.za Cavalleggeri, 1, Florence / CNR - Consiglio Nazionale delle RichercheSIGLEITItal