Presentations - PhD LDGD - 29th cycle

Doctoral programme in Local Development and Global Dynamics

Thursday, 15 October - 2.30 pm - Meeting room, second floor, Department of Sociology and Social Research

Presenters

• Liu Lei: The Social Inclusion of Empty Nesters Introduced by Labor Migration From Rural to Urban: A Case Study in A Chinese Village Named Fuli in Anhui Province

Abstract

Since the famous opening up and reform strategy of China from 1970s, lots of migrant labor has been taken from China's countryside to cities. In this paper I investigate the empty nesters, which are defined aged people left alone at home while their young family members have to migrant outside to make a living. This phenomenon, especially in some less developed rural areas of China, is a quite general and serious social problem, which is accompanied by the process of urbanization and regional transferring of rural labor. This process, in one way exerts great influence to China’s economy and urbanization development, on the other hand obviously reduce the labor and care to aged people in rural area. This difficulties met by rural empty nesters have become a social problem cannot be ignored. To solve this problem, it is very necessary for us to examine the status of social inclusion for these empty nesters. Based on the four-month field study, I carry on my research through three different factors, namely, economic inclusion, social inclusion and political inclusion. I wish this work can do help to find an effective way to promote the material and psychological condition of these aged people.

• Sara Giunti: Remittances and expenditures of Peruvian households left behind: preliminary results

Abstract

This paper uses data from the “Peruvian National Survey of Households" (ENAHO) to investigate whether consumption patterns of Peruvian households are affected by the receipt of migrant remittances. Using an Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS), we assess to what extent receiving income transfers from migrants fosters resource allocation towards human capital investment, with particular attention to healthcare consumption. Both domestic and international remittances are considered, in order to determine whether differences exist in their impacts on household consumption patterns. The study finds that households receiving both domestic and international transfers spend more at margin on health and education and less on food, suggesting a tendency to address additional income from remittances on investment goods, rather than on consumption goods.

• Marco Rogna: Cooperative Game Theory Applied to IEAs: A Comparison of Solution Concepts

Abstract

This paper aims at providing a critical overview of the main solution concepts adopted by the cooperative game theoretical approach in analysing the constitution of an international environmental agreement (IEA). The first part is mainly descriptive and focuses on the basic features of the ‘global warming game’ characterising the differences of the cooperative and non-cooperative approaches to deal with this theme. It then presents the most adopted cooperative solution concepts critically analysing their ratio. Furthermore, two alternative solutions, the Rawlsian Nucleolus and a ‘revisited’ Nash Bargaining solution are proposed, both based on the concept of Minimum Feasible Core. The second part is dedicated to a numerical exercise based on a standard emissions game in order to compare the mentioned concepts with particular focus on their redistributive properties and on their capability to minimize the potential losses caused by free riding. The proposed Rawlsian Nucleolus is the Core solution with the highest redistributive properties, outperforming, on this regard, the Chander and Tulkens solution that still tends to prioritize polluted countries. The ability of avoiding losses from free riding is shown to be strongly correlated with the redistributive properties of solution concepts till the point that their ranking perfectly coincides. 

Keywords: Cooperative Game Theory, solution concepts, emissions abatement, welfare distribution, fairness, equity, free riding
J.E.L.: C71; D63; Q52

• Sara Tonini: The formation of the individual level of trust

Abstract

The question of the origin of trust is very relevant and has recently started to be studied in the literature. There is some evidence showing that trust is transmitted across generation on the one hand, while other contributions indicate that the level of trust is affected by the context, i.e. the local environment. Up to now, a number of works have documented a strong and positive correlation between individual trust levels and ancestral roots, but causality remains largely to be proved. Is “where one comes from” or “where one lives” to matter more for individual trust? 
Which is the relative contribution of each one of these two factors in forming trust?
Exploiting the three waves of the GSOEP, in particular 2003, 2008 and 2013, when the trust question has been asked, I firstly test the hypothesis of time invariance of the individual level of trust. Based on this hypothesis, I use the instrumental variable method to estimate the parameter of intergenerational transmission. Preliminary findings suggest that, far from being intergenerationally determined, the level of trust is greatly influenced from other mechanisms and factors. 

• Maria Tsouri: Innovation networks and knowledge spillovers: Evidence from Trentino, Italy

Abstract

Based on the literature developed on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) clusters and communities, this study focuses in the ICT ecosystem of the Italian region of Trentino. It traces the flows of knowledge and key actors inside the Trentino ICT community. It takes into account all ICT actors located in Trentino that participated in collaborative projects from 2000 up to the end of 2014. The entire ICT ecosystem of Trentino was mapped through Social Network Analysis (SNA). The analysis resulted to a representation of the “local buzz”, “pipelines”, and the path of knowledge transfer inside and towards the Trentino ICT ecosystem. The key actors, the value of their position in the network and their role inside the local innovation system, were identified. Finally, as the entire ecosystem was studied, this study draws sound conclusions on emerging ICT ecosystems.