Industrial Districts and the City: Relationships in the Knowledge Age. Evidence from the Italian Case

The spatial implications of fordist and district-based patterns of development have had a profound effect on the debate about the role of the city. While the city is reputed to be the crucial provider of basic public goods within the fordist model, its role seems more nuanced, if not disputable, when the district model prevails. This disregard for the city is probably due (a) to the fact that the revival of the debate on marshallian districts has placed strong emphasis on the agglomeration economies internal to the districts themselves, while relatively omitting the urban ones, when not emphasising the burden of urban diseconomies; (b) to the countryside roots of most district pioneers. The quarrel was further fuelled with the advent of ICTs, the fragmentation of the productive processes and the possibility of displacing phases at a global level. The paper argues that this is only the early part of the history. The advent of ICTs has had not only functional although important consequences on the internal organisation of firms and industry and on economic geography as a whole; it has also, however, made innovation and knowledge ? rather than cost-saving policies ? the crucial drivers of the competitiveness of firms and local economic systems. The notion of knowledge has profoundly changed too, and the main change consists in the shift that is occurring from Learning I to Learning II, that is from the “production and accumulation†of knowledge according to pre-established codes, to its “generation and articulation†thanks to an endless reshaping of cognitive codes. On this prospect, while firms, places and regions are increasingly conceptualised as Learning II milieus, cities are proving to be a crucial and irreplaceable milieu for knowledge generation. As a consequence, it is becoming necessary to reassess the relationships between industry and the city. Within this new situation, industrial districts may suffer a severe condition of marginality from the central driver of knowledge generation, owing to their lack of internal competences in dialoguing with the city, and/or the lack of suitable mediators.

Modern challenges for the modern bank

The last fifteen years have been characterized by deep structural changes in the economy, some of which are rooted in the global financial crisis of 2008, that led to major economic shocks on both the demand and supply side. Central Banks (CBs) reacted to such shocks by cutting interest rates. Nevertheless, lowering short-term interest rates has led to the so-called zero lower bound. Thus, since 2009, CBs have turned to unconventional monetary policy tools, whose long-term effects are uncertain. This paper seeks to explore current challenges for CBs in advanced economies. The paper analyses the factors that challenged the way monetary policy was conventionally conducted and discusses both the pros and the cons of quantitative easing, forward guidance, negative interest rate policy and yield curve control. For this purpose, the analysis involves empirical evidence and historical examples, suggesting the need to harmonize monetary and fiscal policies

A revision of the genus Spinoliella Ashmead (Apoidea, Andrenidae) in Argentina, with description of four new species

Se describen cuatro nuevas especies del género Spinoliella Ashmead provenientes del centro oeste de la Argentina: S. incudinotata, S. obscura, S. ruzi, y S. tadeyi. Se presentan diagnosis, descripciones, fotos de las especies, dibujos de genitalia y una clave para su determinación. Se discute la clasificación subgenérica de Spinoliella.Four new species of the genus Spinoliella Ashmead from western central Argentina are described: S. incudinotata, S. obscura, S. ruzi, and S. tadeyi. Diagnoses, descriptions, photographs, genitalia drawings and a key to species are presented. The subgeneric classification of Spinoliella is discussedFil: Compagnucci, Luis Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ; Argentin

Historia del cambio climático o calentamiento global

El Calentamiento Global, también llamado Cambio Climático, ha generado un gran impacto en la opinión pública. Nos estamos volviendo concientes que el accionar humano afecta el planeta en que vivimos. Indudablemente hay un sinnúmero de impactos producidos en el ecosistema tales como la tala de bosques, la pérdida de flora nativa y el efecto que esto tiene sobre la fauna, la caza indiscriminada, la contaminación del agua y el suelo, entre otros. Sin embargo, el periodismo y la opinión pública se han focalizado particularmente en el llamado Calentamiento Antropogénico, o sea el aumento de la temperatura global producida desde mediados del siglo diecinueve y atribuida principalmente al incremento del CO2 (dióxido de carbono) debido a la quema de combustibles fósiles.La historia del proceso a partir del cual se llega a la idea actual del Cambio Climático producto del Calentamiento Global Antropogénico resulta sumamente importante para comprender los procesos sociales involucrados.Fil: Compagnucci, Rosa Hilda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

The Third Mission of the university: A systematic literature review on potentials and constraints

In recent years, there has been increasing pressure on Universities to shift from focusing primarily on teaching and performing research, and to add an equivocal Third Mission (TM), labelled \u201ca contribution to society\u201d. Unprecedented challenges have been redesigning the missions of Universities, which are often perceived as being at a crossroads. The TM is a multidisciplinary, complex, evolving phenomenon linked to the social and economic mission of Universities in a broad sense. Existing studies mainly focus on Universities in accomplishing their traditional missions, or they offer a narrow perspective of the TM. To the best of our knowledge, no systematic literature review has been performed on the TM to comprehensively explore its heterogeneous functions, constraints, clashes and incorporation within education and research. This paper presents a systematic review of the state of knowledge and develops a novel framework for the enactment of the TM. The paper reveals the potential and the constraints of the recurring themes of the TM, focusing especially on the engagement of non-academic stakeholders. It also suggests, to scholars and policymakers, a selection of measures through which some of the challenges might be faced. The paper offers both a descriptive and a thematic analysis, through examination of 134 peer-reviewed articles which were published between 2004 and May 2019

Blockchain, data protection and P2P energy trading. A review on legal and economic challenges

Blockchain technology (BCT) enables the automated execution of smart contracts in peerto-peer (P2P) energy trading. BCT-based P2P platforms allow the sharing, exchange and trade of energy among consumers or prosumers as peers, fostering the decarbonization, decentralization and digitalization of the energy industry. On the other hand, BCT-based P2P energy trading relies on the collection, storage and processing of a large amount of user data, posing interdisciplinary challenges, including user anonymity, privacy, the governance of BCT systems and the role of energy market players. First, this paper seeks to review the state of the art of European data protection law and regulations by focusing on BCT compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of 2018. Second, it explores both the potentials and the challenges of BCT-based P2P energy trading from a legal–economic perspective. To do so, the paper adopts an interdisciplinary approach which intertwines both law and economics, by reviewing the recent literature on BCT and P2P energy trading. Findings have revealed that the deployment of BCT-based P2P energy trading is still in its pilot stage because of technology immaturity, data protection uncertainty, incomplete disintermediation and the lack of both user awareness and collaboration among market players. Drawing on the review, the paper also proposes a selection of solutions to foster the implementation of BCT-based P2P energy trading

Fostering Cross-Sector Collaboration to Promote Innovation in the Water Sector

Ongoing global climate change, growing population and the intensification of economic activities, increase pressure on water resources, a situation many see as a water governance crisis. Water-related issues are becoming a limiting factor for sustainable economic growth and require a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach, to foster innovative solutions. This paper provides an evidence-based contribution to understanding Triple Helix Model (THM) relations and the path to innovation policy in the water sector. The analysis focuses on the interaction between university\u2013industry\u2013government, with specific reference to the Murcia region in Southeast Spain. This region combines a chronic shortage of water and a leading role for agriculture. Starting from the experience of a researcher, working for the General Water Council of the Murcia Region, this paper is based on both desk research and in-depth personal interviews with representatives of THM actors. In addition, a questionnaire was forwarded to all those companies in charge of providing water services in the Murcia region. The study has found that stakeholders are not fully cooperative in seeking innovation. The main challenges are the renewal of water-related facilities and the improvement of remote control systems, denitrification and desalination technologies and achieving better energy efficiency. To this aim, THM approach is suggested as a source of local innovation policies, identifying a series of tools to foster a collaborative approach

Climatology of sea ice concentration spatial variability over Bellingshausen, Amundsen and Weddell seas

En el presente trabajo se han obtenido los patrones espaciales más frecuentes de los campos de anomalías de concentración de hielo marino (ACHM) en los mares de Amundsen, Bellingshausen y Weddell a partir de los valores medios mensuales de concentración de hielo marino provistos por la NASA Goddard Space Flight Center derivados del Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer y Special Sensor Microwave/Imager para el período 1979 al 2000. Haciendo uso de la técnica de análisis de Componentes Principales (CPs) en modo-T rotadas Varimax, se obtienen seis CPs. Por lo tanto, se obtienen un total de 12 patrones con seis en modo directo (ACHM del mismo signo que la CP) y seis en inverso (ACHM de signo opuesto a la CP), que clasifican el 95,5% de los campos mensuales. Tres CPs describen los casos más frecuentes de inviernoprimavera (período con mayor concentración y expansión del hielo marino) y tres CPs corresponden a verano-otoño (menor concentración y retracción del campo de hielo). La primera y segunda CP representan situaciones de invierno y primavera. La segunda componente está rotada 30° en sentido horario con respecto a la primer componente y ambas presentan anomalías dipolares entre los mares a ambos lados de la península Antártica. Estas dos componentes presentan una recurrencia de aproximadamente 4 años en los que alternativamente el exterior del mar de Weddell tiene condiciones de hielo marino sobre lo normal cuando en el norte del mar de Amundsen las anomalías son negativas y viceversa. La condición más frecuente y con una recurrencia anual de verano-otoño (3ºCP) también es bipolar pero entre el interior del Weddell y la región del Amundsen-Bellingshausen costera por ser la región donde se presenta el hielo en esa época del año. Las componentes 4º, 5º y 6º refieren a condiciones de ACHM diferentes y no descriptas en la literatura. Por otra parte, las CPs de verano-otoño, fundamentales para la navegación antártica, muestran un cambio de comportamiento ocurrido a fines de los años 80s, en que los mares de Amundsen y Bellingshausen pasaron de tener mayores a menores concentraciones de hielo marino. La distribución espacial de ACHM durante las fases maduras tanto de El Niño muestra una gran variabilidad entre eventos y en algunos casos tiene comportamiento opuesto para diferentes eventos. Lo mismo ocurre para La Niña. La influencia del ciclo El Niño/Oscilación del Sur es clara solo para el invierno que sigue a la fase madura estival del El Niño o La Niña.In this paper the most frequent spatial patterns of sea ice concentration anomalies (SICA) over the Amundsen, Bellingshausen and Weddell Seas have been obtained from monthly mean values of sea ice concentrations provided by the Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer and the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center for the period 1979 2000. Using analysis of Principal Components (PCs) in T-Mode rotated Varimax, six PCs were obtained. Therefore, a total of 12 patterns were found with six in direct mode (SICA of the same sign that the PC) and six in inversely (SICA of opposite sign to the PC), that classify 95.5 % of the monthly fields. Three PCs describe the most frequent winter-spring cases (period with major concentration and expansion of sea ice) and three PCs correspond to summer-autumn (minor concentration and retraction of the field of ice). Winter-spring months have mainly situations close to the first and second PCs. The 2°PC shows a 30 ° counter wise rotation with respect to the 1°CP and both present dipole anomalies between the seas at both sides of the Antarctic Peninsula. These two components display a recurrence of approximately 4 years in which alternatively the exterior region of the Weddell Sea has conditions of sea ice above the mean values meanwhile, in the north of the Amundsen Sea, the anomalies are negative and vice versa. The most frequent condition with an annual summer - autumn recurrence (3ºCP) is also a dipole but between the interior of the Weddell and the coastal region of Amundsen-Bellingshausen because these is the region where the sea ice is presented in this epoch of the year. The 4 º, 5 º and 6 º components refer to different, and not descript in the literature, conditions of SICA. The summer-autumn PCs, fundamental for the Antarctic navigation, show a change of behavior occurred at the end of the 80s years, in that the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas passed of having bigger to minor concentrations of sea ice. The SICA spatial distribution during the mature phases El Niño showed great variability among events and in some cases have opposite behavior for different events. The same occur for La Niña. The influence of the ENSO cycle is relatively clear only for the winter that follows the summer mature phase of the El Niño or La Niña.Fil: Compagnucci, Rosa Hilda. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y los Océanos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Barreira, Sandra. Ministerio de Defensa. Armada Argentina. Servicio Meteorológico de la Armada; Argentin