Access to the Internet and Regional Structures: The Case of Italy

I study the effects of Internet access on regional structures and provide some insights into the complex question of the role of technology in regional development. The paper analyzes the distribution of access to the Internet in Italy, highlighting the differences among regions and sub-regional areas and with respect to categories of users. This is an aspect of the so-called \u201cdigital divide\u201d. I concentrate on the stability and change of regional structures in Italy, pointing at conclusions of general relevance. My analysis confirms the dynamism of the regions of the so-called \u201cThird Italy\u201d and the fundamental distinction between the North-Center with respect to the South, the Italian Mezzogiorno. My preliminary conclusions on the effects of the Internet in promoting economic development suggest lines for further investigation. Key Words: Regional development, Italy, Internet, digital divide JEL Classifications: R11, R12, O3

Development economics : a theoretical and historical perspective

This paper is part of a larger project aiming at revitalizing «high development theory». It examines the roots of development economics, tracing it back to the seminal contributions of European émigrés to the UK and the US in the 1930s. Developed mainly by German speaking economists it became very influential in the 1950s and 1960. It was virtually pushed out of economic theory and research by the new course in economic analysis, relying more and more on a formalized approach. Discussing the reasons of the dismissal, Paul Krugman has identified a basic model where modernization was a self-sustaining process centered on the interaction between scale economies and market size. That is hard to fit into standard competitive analysis and so it was abandoned. The paper focuses on the basic model and argues that a fruitful way to develop the interaction between scale economies and market size is focusing on the process of market formation. This is a key issue for updating and bringing forward the fundamental insight of high development theory. The paper calls attention to the differences in the way the question is articulated in developed and developing economies. In developed economies the main problem is to overcome the tendencies towards market saturation In developing economies the main problem is to build up the domestic market. Constraints arise from income distribution, social conflicts and environmental problems. We argue that the focus on market formation helps to shape a research agenda that, while based on the approach of high development theory, can address the formidable challenges posed by the development of a heterogeneous periphery dominated by the newgiants in Asia and Latin America.Incluye referencias bibliográficas (págin

The Stagnation Tendencies of neoliberalism: A review Essay

In his 2012 book From Financial Crisis to Stagnation, Thomas Palley argued that the financial crisis of 2008 would be likely to result in a period of long-term stagnation. Both the crisis and the predicted stagnation, Palley argued, were the outcomes of policies pursued since the 1980s; the persistence of those policies explains the stagnation. Underpinning the policies and their consequences are the flaws of the neoliberal macro model and the particular role played by finance in that model. The rejection of Keynesianism meant the abandonment of the commitment to full employment. The neoliberal paradigm rests upon a foundation of ‘bad ideas’ which are located in political philosophy as much as in economic theory. Palley’s argument has a bearing on recent discussions among mainstream macroeconomists, whose interest in secular stagnation has been revived by the ‘ongoing crisis’. These discussions have left mostly unanswered the question of the causes of stagnation. The present essay argues that Palley’s concept of ‘structural Keynesianism’ can benefit from a closer association with the analysis of structural transformation and its effects on policy regimes and stagnation tendencies

Development economics : a theoretical and historical perspective

This paper is part of a larger project aiming at revitalizing «high development theory». It examines the roots of development economics, tracing it back to the seminal contributions of European émigrés to the UK and the US in the 1930s. Developed mainly by German speaking economists it became very influential in the 1950s and 1960. It was virtually pushed out of economic theory and research by the new course in economic analysis, relying more and more on a formalized approach. Discussing the reasons of the dismissal, Paul Krugman has identified a basic model where modernization was a self-sustaining process centered on the interaction between scale economies and market size. That is hard to fit into standard competitive analysis and so it was abandoned. The paper focuses on the basic model and argues that a fruitful way to develop the interaction between scale economies and market size is focusing on the process of market formation. This is a key issue for updating and bringing forward the fundamental insight of high development theory. The paper calls attention to the differences in the way the question is articulated in developed and developing economies. In developed economies the main problem is to overcome the tendencies towards market saturation In developing economies the main problem is to build up the domestic market. Constraints arise from income distribution, social conflicts and environmental problems. We argue that the focus on market formation helps to shape a research agenda that, while based on the approach of high development theory, can address the formidable challenges posed by the development of a heterogeneous periphery dominated by the newgiants in Asia and Latin America.Incluye referencias bibliográficas (págin

Development Economics today: Insights from Hirschman and Furtado

The widespread failure of market-oriented policies to produce sustained growth and generalized welfare increases in Latin America has led to a renewed interest in the development theories that flourished in the post-WWI era. They were largely set aside after the 1960s, with the exception of developments in Latin America. While many aspects of those writings are still relevant today the international economy changed substantially. Globalization has been at times interpreted as the end of the core-periphery distinction. While this is debatable, policy prescriptions and objectives of the 1950s and 1960s are not necessarily applicable today. The paper begins to address the general question: what remains vital and relevant today of \u201chigh development theory\u201d? In which way can those ideas be updated and brought back to the current debate on development? The paper follows two main directions of investigation. It examines Hirschman assessment of balanced and unbalanced growth in light of the recent theories of structural change and transformational growth. Notoriously those arise from a criticism of steady growth models and highlight how structural unbalances play a fundamental role in development. Interestingly Hirschman had no notion of \u201cdependency\u201d and his analysis remains rooted in the concept of backwardness. The second direction of investigation concerns the Latin American views, and especially those of Furtado and Marini, which appear open to the investigation of the process of long-run growth of demand \u2013 linked to consumption patterns evolution and new markets \u2013 that is also an central aspect of the process of transformational growth

Chronic alendronate therapy impairs epithelial morphology and homeostasis in the human oral mucosa

Alendronate (ALN) is a nitrogen containing bisphosphonate (BP) widely used for the chronic treatment of osteoporotic patients, especially women over 60 years old. The diffusion of BPs in clinical practice has brought attention to one of their most serious side-effects, osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) [1]. Several theories have been proposed to explain its pathogenesis, but the effect of BPs on the oral mucosa is still matter of debate despite its extensive involvement and injury in ONJ. This study aimed at evaluating from a morphological point of view the effects of ALN therapy on the oral epithelium of clinically healthy keratinized oral mucosa. Six women over 60 years old undergoing chronic therapy (2-7 years) with oral ALN after diagnosis of osteoporosis were recruited and compared to a gender and age matched group (n=6). Smoking habit, past history of head and neck cancer treatment, and concomitant assumption of steroidal and antiangiogenic drugs were excluding criteria. Proliferation, apoptosis, intercellular adhesion, and terminal differentiation were investigated by immunofluorescence and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A significant decrease in keratinocyte proliferation was detected in the oral epithelium of patients undergoing ALN therapy compared to the control group (237.62 BrdU/mm2 ± 92.22 vs 104.16 BrdU/mm2 ± 66.20; p = 0.0002), without any sign of apoptosis induction by light microscopy and TEM. The presence of well established adherens and tight junctions was accompanied by profound alterations in desmosomal ultrastructure and molecular composition in the uppermost layers of the oral epithelium of the ALN group. Proceeding from the lower spinous to the granular layer, TEM analysis showed a progressive reduction in desmosomal thickness paralleled by a lower immunostaining for desmoglein 1 and desmoglein 3 in the suprabasal keratinocytes. In the upper epithelial layers, intermediate filaments gradually aggregated forming electron-dense bundles detached from the desmosomal plaque and a significant decrease in keratin 10 expression was observed. Taken together the reported results suggested a profound impairment in structure and function of the clinically healthy oral epithelium related to chronic ALN assumption. For the first time our results show that epithelial homeostasis in human oral mucosa is profoundly affected by nitrogen containing BPs, confirming previous in vitro studies [2-4] and strongly supporting the need of further investigation on the molecular mechanisms involved in ONJ pathogenesis

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles 2018 (MISEV2018):a position statement of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles and update of the MISEV2014 guidelines

The last decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of scientific publications describing physiological and pathological functions of extracellular vesicles (EVs), a collective term covering various subtypes of cell-released, membranous structures, called exosomes, microvesicles, microparticles, ectosomes, oncosomes, apoptotic bodies, and many other names. However, specific issues arise when working with these entities, whose size and amount often make them difficult to obtain as relatively pure preparations, and to characterize properly. The International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) proposed Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles (“MISEV”) guidelines for the field in 2014. We now update these “MISEV2014” guidelines based on evolution of the collective knowledge in the last four years. An important point to consider is that ascribing a specific function to EVs in general, or to subtypes of EVs, requires reporting of specific information beyond mere description of function in a crude, potentially contaminated, and heterogeneous preparation. For example, claims that exosomes are endowed with exquisite and specific activities remain difficult to support experimentally, given our still limited knowledge of their specific molecular machineries of biogenesis and release, as compared with other biophysically similar EVs. The MISEV2018 guidelines include tables and outlines of suggested protocols and steps to follow to document specific EV-associated functional activities. Finally, a checklist is provided with summaries of key points

Long-term economic development in China

The paper aims at defining some major question for future Chinese economic growth after some thirty years of reform and transformation of the Chinese economy. The argument developed here focuses on the idea that growth depends fundamentally on the expansion of the market and thus on the process of market development. After a brief examination of development economics and the role market creation may play within its basic structure the theoretical framework is summarized in section 4. The discussion of the prospects for market creation in China is built around the difficulties at creating new markets at a sufficient scale and pace in the developed West, and the US in particular

High Development Theory, CEPAL and beyond

This paper is part of a larger project that combines history of economic thought and analytical models to discuss \u201chigh development theory\u201d. Here we focus in particular on the contribution of the United Nations\ub4 Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC, or CEPAL in Spanish). It first briefly examines the historical background of development economics, tracing it back to the seminal contributions of European \ue9migr\ue9s to the UK and the US in the 1930s. That highlights the peculiarity of development economics within the progress of economic science and the rise of mainstream economic theory