The mechanisms of knowledge governance: State owned enterprises and Italian economic growth, 1950–1994

We investigate the mechanisms of knowledge governance and show that the actual economic benefits stemming from knowledge externalities depend on the characteristics of (a) the sources of such externalities, (b) the context in which spillovers take place, (c) the potential users of the externalities. In the Italian experience of 1950-1994, state owned enterprises (SOE) have been one of the most effective mechanisms of knowledge governance. Italian SOE were effective sources of knowledge externalities as they imitated the US corporate model of intra-muros R&D laboratories. Research activities carried out by SOE were mainly based in upstream industries, with multiple user-producer interactions with firms active in downstream industries, and aimed at implementing a knowledge base characterized by high levels of generic content and a wide scope of application. These characteristics helped disseminate relevant knowledge externalities that played a positive role on total factor productivity in the second part of the XX century in Italy

The AGILE Mission

AGILE is an Italian Space Agency mission dedicated to observing the gamma-ray Universe. The AGILE's very innovative instrumentation for the first time combines a gamma-ray imager (sensitive in the energy range 30 MeV-50 GeV), a hard X-ray imager (sensitive in the range 18-60 keV), a calorimeter (sensitive in the range 350 keV-100 MeV), and an anticoincidence system. AGILE was successfully launched on 2007 April 23 from the Indian base of Sriharikota and was inserted in an equatorial orbit with very low particle background. Aims. AGILE provides crucial data for the study of active galactic nuclei, gamma-ray bursts, pulsars, unidentified gamma-ray sources, galactic compact objects, supernova remnants, TeV sources, and fundamental physics by microsecond timing. Methods. An optimal sky angular positioning (reaching 0.1 degrees in gamma- rays and 1-2 arcmin in hard X-rays) and very large fields of view (2.5 sr and 1 sr, respectively) are obtained by the use of Silicon detectors integrated in a very compact instrument. Results. AGILE surveyed the gamma- ray sky and detected many Galactic and extragalactic sources during the first months of observations. Particular emphasis is given to multifrequency observation programs of extragalactic and galactic objects. Conclusions. AGILE is a successful high-energy gamma-ray mission that reached its nominal scientific performance. The AGILE Cycle-1 pointing program started on 2007 December 1, and is open to the international community through a Guest Observer Program

L’lRI, la ricerca, lo sviluppo lecnologico, la crescita (1950-1994). Esternalità e governo della conoscenza

L‘ondata di industrializzazione italiana della seconda metà del XX secolo è stata caratterizzata dal ruolo determinante delle imprese dell’Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale (IRI). Le caratteristiche peculiari delle loro attività di ricerca, in particolare il tipo di attività di generazione della conoscenza, e il carattere della loro base di conoscenza, sembra averle qualificate quali “efficaci emissari” di esternalità di conoscenza. Le imprese del gruppo IRI furono in grado di alimentare rapidi tassi di crescita della produttività totale dei fattori del sistema produttivo con spillover cospicui e di ampia portata che condussero a esternalità di conoscenza di elevata qualità. L’analisi delle caratteristiche degli emissari di esternalità di conoscenza appare un percorso di ricerca promettente. Le esternalità di conoscenza hanno una buona probabilità di essere più forti quando le caratteristiche degli emissari favoriscono non solo l’emissione di segnali di conoscenza, ma anche la loro effettiva ricezione da parte dei potenziali utilizzatori. L’innesto dei più recenti progressi degli studi di comunicazione nella nuova economia della conoscenza permette di analizzare il funzionamento della knowledge governance e di valutare l’operare delle esternalità di conoscenza in quanto processi di comunicazione, e quindi di identificare tre elementi distinti, e cioè i caratteri di emissari, destinatari e contesto di diffusione tecnologica. All’interno di questo schema, gli spillover, che conducono esternalità di conoscenza, possono essere pensati quali segnali che raggiungono le loro destinazioni in coerenza con le caratteristiche delle loro sorgenti, del contesto in cui hanno luogo, e dei caratteri dei possibili destinatari

High redshift gamma-ray burst studies with GLAST

We compare predicted Type Ib/c supernova (SN) rates with the observed long-duration gamma-ray burst (GRB) rates both locally and as a function of redshift. To do that, we assume different star formation histories in galaxies of different morphological type: ellipticals, spirals and irregulars. In particular, the predicted Type Ib/c SN rate (SNRIb/c) is always higher than the GRB rate, as expected, suggesting that only a small fraction (0.1-1%) of them become GRBs. We predict a ratio between the cosmic GRB rate and the cosmic SNRIb/c in the range 10-2 - 10-3, in agreement with previous estimates. Finally, due to the high star formation in spheroids at high redshift, we predict more GRBs at high redshift than previous estimates, a prediction which awaits to be proven by future observations by GLAST. Based on our studies and on the current LAT performance, an estimate of the detection possibility of this high-redshift burst population is finally presented

Cosmological implications of Compton tails in long duration GRB

The recent suggestion of the possible presence of a significant amount of material (Thomson optical depth ∼ 1) at rest and at a typical distance of ∼ 1015 cm with respect to the GRB is presented. The relevance of such interpretation for GRB energetics and its cosmological implications is outlined