INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL AND THE UNIVERSITY THIRD MISSION: AN EVALUATION FRAMEWORK

The purpose of this work is to understand the new role of universities in the development of the knowledge economy via an intellectual capital perspective. Indeed, from being entities for knowledge creation and dissemination, universities are now asked to play an increasingly entrepreneurial role, involving networking and collaboration, as well as sustainability and social engagement. This consideration is in line with the 4th stage intellectual capital perspective, which focuses on knowledge creation with an ecosystem focus. The work is based on the following steps: first a literature review on the new role of universities and on the Third Mission approach; then, an analysis of the evaluation of Third Mission activities, by including several international ranking systems and research projects; finally, an analysis on the exploitation of IC as an assessment tool. Despite the academic and institutional efforts, there is little agreement on a set of indicators to evaluate quality in Third Missions activities. Several models have been implemented in order to identify IC in universities, but they need further applications and evaluations. Through this methodology, we will try to systematise the theoretical contributions, which are currently fragmented and lack a systemic vision

Auto-organización de los trabajadores: las empresas recuperadas en Argentina

This article addresses the challenges that integral reparation programs meet when aiming to respond to multiple victimization experienced by displaced women. By adopting the ethnographic concept of “frictions” (Tsing, 2005), I analyze four dimensions of discursive frictions that occur surrounding reparative practice backed by the Law on Victims and Land Restitution and its multiple local encounters and dis-encounters when compensating multiple victimization in the post-conflict of Medellín. Like other studies have identified shortcomings of the idealistic and innovative Colombian reparation program, it becomes evident that the integral reparation efforts fall short in addressing the real complexity of interrelated and multiples victimizations in the urban context. Respectively the paper addresses the question of how experiences of compound victimization are considered within their temporal beginnings, continuities and endings. Derived from field research and problem-centred interviews conducted in 2017 the paper draws on a perspective of compound harm to understand the complexity of multiple victimization experienced by forcibly displaced womenEste artículo aborda los desafíos que enfrentan los programas de reparación integral de víctimas cuando procuran responder ante victimizaciones múltiples de mujeres desplazadas. Adoptando el concepto etnográfico “fricciones” (Tsing, 2005), se analizan cuatro dimensiones de fricciones discursivas que acontecen alrededor de prácticas reparadoras respaldadas por la Ley de víctimas y restitución de tierras, y sus múltiples encuentros y desencuentros locales cuando se han procurado compensar victimizaciones múltiples en el posconflicto de Medellín. Otros estudios han identificado defectos del idealista e innovador programa colombiano de reparación integral, pero estos esfuerzos se quedan cortos el abordar la real complejidad de las victimizaciones múltiples en el contexto urbano. El artículo analiza cómo se han abordado las experiencias de victimizaciones múltiples desde sus inicios, desarrollos y finales. A partir de investigación de campo y entrevistas centradas en problemas realizadas en 2017, el artículo acude a una perspectiva de daño interrelacionado para comprender la complejidad de la victimización múltiple vivida por mujeres víctimas de desplazamiento forzado

Grassroots democracy and local government in Northern Syria: the case of democratic confederalism

This paper provides a case study regarding an innovative model of grass-roots democracy, called democratic confederalism, which is currently being implemented in Northern Syria. The difference between democratic confederalism and previous experiments with grass-roots democracy is that its evolutionary pattern aims to include heterogeneous local communities living in the same territories, with the objective of becoming an administrative model for the whole Syrian country, without shattering its national constitution. In fact, the evolution of the political and administrative system and the introduction of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria were specifically aimed at including all ethnicities and not focusing on the Kurdish population only. Following a literature review aimed at defining the theoretical background of democratic confederalism, the case study is presented. Data collection occurred through semi-structured interviews and informal talks with key stakeholders in the Kurdish movement; the findings and main implications of the model are described and analysed

Reducing Plastic Pollution by Recovery and Recycling: Evidence from a “Blue Economy” Project Impacting Policy-Making in Italy

This paper recognizes the relevance of the Seabed Cleaning Project, created by the Angelo Vassallo Sindaco Pescatore Foundation in 2010, and presents it as a tool to achieve benefits in environmental, social, and economic terms, in line with the innovative framework of the Blue Economy. The project suggests a practical, feasible, and scalable solution to plastic pollution that can be obtained thanks to the activity performed by fishermen in cooperation with the municipality and local community (in a multi-level cooperation perspective). The data show a significant reduction of plastic on the seafloor thanks to the project, but further research is needed in order to collect further positive outcomes from different applications of the project. In 2022, the “Salva Mare” Law was approved in the Senate, extending the good practices proposed by the Foundation nationwide and showing how small gestures and concrete actions can provide significant improvements in pursuit of a healthier, safer, greener, and smarter city for the future

Qualitative Research in Intangibles, Intellectual Capital and Integrated Reporting Practices

Over the last few decades, research on measuring, managing, and reporting intangibles and intellectual capital (IIC) has developed into the core of the scholarly debate. Despite the interest shown in developing theory, the benefits attributed to measuring, managing and reporting IIC are not fully recognised in practice, thus leading to a call for more rigorous and performative research (Mouritsen, 2006; Dumay, 2012; Guthrie et al., 2012). Adopting a performative approach implies studying the meas- urement, management and reporting of IIC ‘in action’, inside and among organizations, to understand how knowledge resources such as people, processes and relationships are mobilised and activated to create value. Qualitative methods, such as case studies, interviews and observations are particularly suited to the investigation of IIC in action because they allow researchers to study the complex dynamics within companies and among organizations. Additionally, researchers can also help implement IIC practices by using interventionist research, which uses case studies and qualitative methods to investigate IIC in situ and help fill the gap between theory and practice (Dumay & Baard, 2017). Thus, IIC research that looks both inside and outside the organization continues to develop new insights into how organizations create value