The Privatization Process and Its Effects on the Italian Accountability System

The effects of the privatization process have been widely studied, but with controversial results. In many countries this process ended up with public ser-vice providers still owned by the state (partial privatizations). The paper dis-cusses how issues related to the privatization process (corruption, conflicts of interests and lack of accountability) may be discussed from different perspec-tives – New Public Management (NPM), New Public Service (NPS), and New Public Governance (NPG). While in the NPM the privatization process aims at improving efficiency in public service providers, it seems to create some ethical problems if analysed from the NPS. Moreover, NPG, as co-production, networks and cooperation, offers valid alternatives to the privatization process. Through a case study analysis on the public service providers owned by the MEF (Italian Ministry of Economics and Finance) the paper highlights the stop and go characteristic of the Italian privatization process. This situation leads to huge ethical issues. We show the main flaws in the ethical and accountability systems of these organizations suggesting possible solutions using a public governance approach.Privatization; Accountability; Corruption; Conflicts of interest

Cultural and rural tourism: potential synergies for a new economic development pattern. The Italian case.

Thanks to its important naturalistic, historical, cultural and artistic heritage, Italy is one of the Countries with the greatest touristic vocation in the world. As consequence, tourism is the most important productive sector in Italian economy, with an impact just below 12% on GDP. During the long period of economic crisis that affected the major world economies, between 2008 and 2014, some parts of the Italian tourism, including seaside for example, declined. This decline, at an aggregate level, has been however balanced by the development of cultural tourism. This also thanks to the increase of external demand: the number of foreign visits went from 140 million in 2000 to more than 190 million in 2016, without any decline also over the hardest period of the above mentioned economic crisis. About 37% of external demand is attributed to expenditures for holidays in art heritage cities and they represent the most dynamic part of Italian tourism. Although with more modest absolute values, agritourism and food and wine tourism are dynamic parts of Italian tourism too and, sometimes, they are linked with cultural tourism. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that the development of cultural tourism, agritourism and food and wine tourism can be a single goal of economic policy aimed at creating new growth strategies in order to overcome the effects of the economic crisis. Organizing as a single economic system the different parts of Italian tourism can be the most coherent action in order to cope with the different development needs and potentialities of Italy whose economic system is traditionally linked to the territorial values

Beauty Will Save Us Hypothesis of European Structural Funds Use as a Tool to Create in Italy an Economic Model able to Create Widespread Wellbeing through the Exploitation of Beauty and Quality

The financial crisis erupted in USA in August 2007 has been the main cause of a long period of global recession far and difficult to overcome especially in EU. Taking into consideration the duration of the crisis we can conclude that its nature is not cyclical but structural. It follows that the only opportunity to overcome the current recession is strictly linked to a rethink of development models which have determined this crisis. Among the European Countries showing the greatest difficulties to overcome the crisis Italy is the Country whose economic and social system is particularly evidenced by the ongoing state of crisis. In particular, the Italian productive system, traditionally based on small and medium size enterprises with strong territorial links, seems to suffer in particular the homologation and competitive rules based on production costs of globalization. At the same time, in Italy, thanks to its territorial peculiarities, these weakness could be transformed in great opportunities to intercept the demand of beauty and quality, still growing on a large scale. The characteristics of Italian model can be considered as a concrete opportunity to create a new model of development based on the production of a widespread wellbeing through the exploitation of local resources. For this reason, the aim of this paper is the proposal of a model of territorial intervention as a valid response to the needs and potentialities of areas most affected by the crisis in line with programmatic framework and socio structural policies tools stated by the European Union for the period 2014-2020

The strategic role of agriculture in a development system of exploitation of territorial resources

The great difficulties Italy is facing with in order to overcame the crisis that began in 2008, lead us to reconsider the development models which have determined it. In the present context of increasing competitiveness, inducted by the globalization process, to avoid being marginalized or given up, Italian socio-economic systems need to think out models of differentiated development on a local level and based on the exploitation of territorial resources. In this context, taking into consideration that 92% of national surface is classified as rural, it is indispensable to think up models of development whose main reference point is agriculture. Agriculture is indeed the fulcrum of agribusiness system that counts for 15% of national wealth and it is the productive activity which more than others set the characteristics of a territory. It takes on both the role of producer of goods and promoter of a socio, cultural and environmental context able to put together the different territorial entities, making them operating as a system. It is therefore evident that agriculture is not a separate sector but an entity strictly integrated with the other components of the socio-economic system and thanks to this it is able to play a fundamental role for the territorial development. In this paper it is highlighted how the creation of an economic model revolving around the concept of “identity”, through the exploitation of territorial resources, if well organized and supported by incisive political actions can be an occasion of economic recovery. Identity and uniqueness can be the right answer to the homologation and standardization of globalization. The aim of the paper is to underline how agriculture operating in an integrated way with tourism, handcraft and the other territorial activities is strategic to develop and carry out a development model where the territory is the landmark

What does really matter in the internationalization of small and medium-sized family businesses?

During the last decades considerable academic attention has been given to the internationalization of family businesses, as it is often considered a way to revitalize both the family and the business. Despite this increasing attention, the debate on its drivers, challenges and constraints is still inconclusive. The aim of this study is to explore whether incoming generations’ involvement impact the decision to exploit and explore international opportunities and to what extent altruism and competence-based trust mediate that relationship. Three propositions are formulated drawing from international entrepreneurship literature and stewardship theory. To validate this framework, a multiple case study on four Italian family firms has been conducted. The main findings suggest that timing, scope and internationalization modes change in relation to specific family firms’ features. When “epochal” changes (e.g. incoming generation) suddenly break down they contribute positively to the exploration and exploitation of international entrepreneurial activities. Moreover, the existence of interpersonal ties based on altruism and competence-based trust between senior and incoming generations mitigates this relationship

The Role of IPO in Internationalization Process of Family Business. The Italian Case of the Burani Family. Is it a Black Swan?

Considering the growth of global economy and the high competitiveness internationalization process seems to be more important for family businesses. The internationalization theories are often related to the most appropriate tool for their feasibility. Also internationalization strategies need high financial resources that small family businesses often do not possess. The aim of this paper is to show a grey area in the intersection between the studies on family businesses’ IPO and internationalization. We try to contribute to the literature on family business discussing some propositions and highlighting which are the main advantages and the more significant costs associated to the IPO as a tool for internationalization. We argue these propositions through the use of a systematic research on literature and through the case study on the Burani family.Internationalization; Family Business; IPO

Alessandra La Rosa, La solidarietà come impresa pratica e teorica nella Francia della Terza Repubblica. L’apporto di Léon Duguit

L’articolo di Alessandra La Rosa, depositato nell’Archivio Marini, ricostruisce il contributo del giurista Léon Duguit al dibattito che a cavallo tra XIX e XX secolo si sviluppò in Francia sul tema del rapporto tra società e stato. Il contesto storico è quello della terza repubblica, la questione di fondo il tentativo di legittimare il superamento del modello di statualità sancito dalla rivoluzione dell’89 e incentrato sull’asse duale stato-cittadino

i provvedimenti contro vagabondaggio e mendicita nel Regno di Sicilia

The article presents the developments in Sicilian legislation in the 18th and 19th centuries, aiming to contain the frequent phenomena of vagabondage and mendicancy. Starting from the pragmatic sanctions with that objective, the research then focuses on the regulations found in the Code for the Kingdom of the two Sicilies, Second Part - Penal Law from 181

Carlo Rosselli e il socialismo delle autonomie

L’impegno teorico di Carlo Rosselli è riconducibile alle molteplici esperienze minoritarie (almeno a livello continentale) che, negli anni ’20, mirano al superamento dell’impianto dottrinario del socialismo marxista. Tanto nella variante riformista, quanto in quella massimalista, classismo, olismo e collettivismo sono principi tendenzialmente comuni alla cultura del marxismo; principi dicotomici rispetto al liberalismo e problematici nei confronti della democrazia. Rosselli, contro questa tradizione, cerca di costruire un socialismo che postuli la centralità dell’individuo, una visione pluralistica della società e la diffidenza verso la centralizzazione del potere

Which Conflict? Understanding Conflicts inside the Board of Directors

The analysis of previous studies oncerning corporate governance shows that some variables related to board behavior have not been properly taken into account. The paper analyses board of directors in its decision-making process highlighting the importance that a clear identification of conflict could have on board effectiveness. It emerges that conflict could be distinguished in many typologies affecting board dynamics and decision-making process. The aim of the paper is to identify the mainstream and the other borderline approaches in the existent literature in order to: (i) mark some confusions in the definition or use of the concept of conflict; (ii) point-out its potential in the study of board effectiveness in a behavioural per-spective; (iii) underline the need for operationalizing the concept for a better understanding of its impact on board effectiveness and for a robust future empirical research.Conflict; Board of Directors; Decision-making Process; Board Effetiveness