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Italian Abstract: L’indagine PISA 2012 includeva alcuni test anche in formato digitale, negli ambiti di matematica, lettura e problem solving. In queste prove, l’Italia ha riportato risultati piu lusinghieri di quelli delle prove cartacee... more
Italian Abstract: L’indagine PISA 2012 includeva alcuni test anche in formato digitale, negli ambiti di matematica, lettura e problem solving. In queste prove, l’Italia ha riportato risultati piu lusinghieri di quelli delle prove cartacee tradizionali. Tale risultato non e frutto di specificita del campione di studenti italiani e dei paesi di confronto nelle prove digitali; un impatto, seppure non esclusivo, lo esercita la bassa determinazione degli studenti italiani, che nelle prove cartacee spesso non completano la lettura delle domande e faticano ad arrivare al termine della prova. Il lavoro evidenzia poi che le competenze rivelate dalle prove digitali per il singolo studente, specie in ambito matematico-quantitativo, sono ceteris paribus fortemente correlate con quelle cartacee e che il pattern dei risultati e analogo; le competenze in problem solving sono a loro volta positivamente associate con una maggiore dimestichezza con le prove digitali. L’essere un’eccellenza nelle prove digitali non necessariamente richiede pero di esserlo anche in quelle cartacee, le prime cogliendo la presenza di talenti inespressi nelle seconde, piu vicine al tradizionale operare delle scuole.English Abstract: PISA 2012 included an optional computer-based assessment (CBA) focusing on mathematics, reading skills and problem solving. Italian students performed better in the CBA than in the paper-based assessment (PBA). This was not due to any specific features of the student samples in Italy and in the other countries included in the comparison. One of the reasons seems to be that Italian students are less determined in their approach to paper-based tests, during which they often fail to read all the questions and have trouble in finishing in the allotted time. Furthermore, this study finds that students’ competencies as revealed by the CBA are, other things being equal, strongly correlated with those in the paper-based tests, especially in mathematics, and that the pattern of results is almost the same for both kinds of test. Competencies in problem solving are in turn positively associated with a greater familiarity with digital tests. Nevertheless, being excellent in the PBA is not strictly necessary to obtain an excellent result in the CBA as well, since the latter test probably shows talents which are not revealed in paper-based tests, more similar to traditional school exams.
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The specific objective of the work concerns the analysis of long-term trends in the differences in price levels between provincial capitals in Italy. The aim is deliberately limited to defining their character, as well as to analysing the... more
The specific objective of the work concerns the analysis of long-term trends in the differences in price levels between provincial capitals in Italy. The aim is deliberately limited to defining their character, as well as to analysing the pattern of spread and transmission between the different Italian regions in the inflationary process. The author discusses the dispersion between the various cities in the annual rate of inflation. Then the extent to which the relative prices (compared to the national average) of each city are stable in the long run is verified. After aggregating economically significant individual cities into macro-regions, the major trends in the cost of living differentials are summarised. Finally, the results of an econometric exercise are presented in which the transmission of inflationary impulses, among macro-regions, is considered. JEL Codes: E31, O52 Keywords: Inflation, cost of living, price levels, Italy
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The paper discusses two broad possible future developments of industrial relations in Italy and elsewhere: the decentralisation of bargaining and the factors behind the general weakness of unions in Italy and many other industrialised... more
The paper discusses two broad possible future developments of industrial relations in Italy and elsewhere: the decentralisation of bargaining and the factors behind the general weakness of unions in Italy and many other industrialised countries. As for the former it is argued that the developments stemming from the FIAT case, while affected also by idiosyncratic elements, hint at a possible reduced interest among Italian largest firms to manage their own (and their internal competitors') working conditions at the industry level. As for the latter, the fragmentation of production is identified as the key element: besides a weakening of the labour side, affected also by the globalization and the rise in the world labour supply, these trends are increasingly making rather anachronistic many old working rules as established by the unions movement over the previous decades.
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The chapter reviews the evolution of educational institutions and outcomes over the 150 years since... more
The chapter reviews the evolution of educational institutions and outcomes over the 150 years since Italy's unification and discusses their interaction with national and regional growth patterns. Initial educational conditions across regions contributed to differentiate the early industrial take off in the late nineteenth century. Conversely, formal education does not appear to have played a major role in the post-war economic boom. The slowdown of Italy's economy since the 1990s may in part reflect interactions between the country's traditionally low human capital intensity and its new comparative advantage patterns. It may also be due in part to the deterioration of Italy's educational system's organization since the 1970s.
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EnglishThis paper examines the difficult course of reform introduced in recent years relating to employment services in Italy, the mechanisms for matching the supply and demand for labour, the various instruments utilised to implement... more
EnglishThis paper examines the difficult course of reform introduced in recent years relating to employment services in Italy, the mechanisms for matching the supply and demand for labour, the various instruments utilised to implement reform, and the related employment services provided in the various normative systems. In particular, the authors focus on the reforms implemented since the late 1990s, as innovative measures rather than as attempts to demolish the previous system, and then make a number of observations on the outcome of the present reform measures. Three main strands of development are identified by the authors: the opening up to private operators, administrative decentralisation, and the design and implementation of active policies to combat long-term unemployment, in relation to the indications laid down of the European Court of Justice and the European Employment Strategy. In this connection the authors also consider forms of cooperation between public and private operators, with particular regard to the recent reform, and analyse the instruments laid down by it: accreditation, agency work as an instrument providing access to the labour market for disadvantaged individuals (in the original model and in the version redefined by sentence no. 50/2006 of the Constitutional Court) and the national employment information service. On the basis of the analysis proposed, the authors argue that there is no reason to be nostalgic about the past, while pointing to certain critical aspects of the reform implemented so far and proposing certain changes: the danger that a strongly decentralised structure might have a negative impact on the central structures; the inadequacy of certain provisions adopted in relation to minimum levels of service, the still embryonic state of cooperation between public and private services, and finally the definition of the role of the public operator, that should provide a back-up service for those whose needs cannot be met by private operators while also regulating the use of labour market shock absorbers, which it is hoped will be dealt with by future legislative reform. italianoIl contributo sviluppa il travagliato percorso di riforme succedutesi nel tempo con riferimento al sistema del collocamento in Italia, le modalita di incontro tra domanda ed offerta di lavoro, i diversi strumenti utilizzati per realizzarlo e i connessi servizi all’impiego previsti per il cittadino nei diversi modelli normativi. Gli AA. si concentrano, in particolare, sulle riforme intervenute a partire dalla fine degli anni Novanta come momenti evolutivi e non solo demolitori del sistema precedente per addivenire ad alcune osservazioni di merito relativamente all’epilogo attuale del processo riformatore. Gli AA. individuano, in particolare, tre direttrici di riforma – l’apertura del sistema agli operatori privati, il decentramento amministrativo e lo sviluppo di politiche attive contro la disoccupazione di lunga durata – contestualizzate rispetto alle indicazioni derivanti dagli orientamenti giurisprudenziali della Corte di Giustizia e dalla Strategia Europea per l’Occupazione. A fronte di questa analisi gli AA. considerano anche il problema delle forme di cooperazione tra operatore pubblico e privato, con particolare riguardo alla piu recente riforma, e analizzano gli strumenti relativi da questa previsti: accreditamento, somministrazione come strumento di inserimento di soggetti “svantaggiati” – nel modello originario e nella evoluzione derivante dalla sentenza n. 50/2005 della Corte Costituzionale – e Borsa continua nazionale del lavoro. Dall’analisi condotta, gli AA., in una prospettiva affatto nostalgica del passato, rilevano alcuni nodi critici del tracciato riformatore relativamente ai quali formulano proposte per una ulteriore revisione: il pericolo che una struttura radicalmente decentrata possa sacrificare il ruolo delle strutture centrali, l’inadeguatezza della elaborazione relativa ai livelli minimi di servizio, lo stadio ancora “embrionale” del modello di cooperazione tra soggetti pubblici e privati e, infine, la definizione del ruolo stesso riservato all’operatore pubblico che dovrebbe essere, piuttosto, di “ultima istanza” rispetto all’agire dei privati e di controllo sul funzionamento degli ammortizzatori sociali con riferimento ai quali, infine, e auspicata una prossima riforma legislativa.
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This note summarizes the most relevant regional features of the fiscal consolidation effort undertaken in Italy as a reaction to the sovereign debt crisis. It is shown how the economic and social implications have been stronger in the... more
This note summarizes the most relevant regional features of the fiscal consolidation effort undertaken in Italy as a reaction to the sovereign debt crisis. It is shown how the economic and social implications have been stronger in the Mezzogiorno regions, mostly because of the higher dependence of this area upon the demand triggered by public funds. Then the note discusses the main factors limiting the effectiveness of the actions undertaken in the area of structural reforms and functioning of the public administration, which remains overall worse in the Mezzogiorno.
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ABSTRACT Italian Abstract: L’obiettivo di questo lavoro è di verificare la coerenza del quadro complessivo che emerge da due diverse rilevazioni sugli apprendimenti degli studenti italiani (PISA e RN-Invalsi) svoltesi nello stesso anno... more
ABSTRACT Italian Abstract: L’obiettivo di questo lavoro è di verificare la coerenza del quadro complessivo che emerge da due diverse rilevazioni sugli apprendimenti degli studenti italiani (PISA e RN-Invalsi) svoltesi nello stesso anno (2012). Specialmente concentrando l’attenzione sulla parte in comune delle popolazioni di riferimento (gli studenti 15enni in II secondaria di secondo grado), entrambe le fonti restituiscono un quadro simile dei differenziali di performance esistenti tra gli studenti, sia in connessione con il diverso background familiare sia con riferimento al pattern territoriale. Simile è anche il quadro relativo alla variabilità complessiva, sebbene criticità da questo punto di vista si riscontrino nelle RN, per via della presenza di una significativa presenza di fenomeni di cheating e di una imperfetta correzione dello stesso, che genera una ulteriore fonte di variabilità nei risultati. La coerenza tra le due fonti si estende ai risultati dei singoli studenti e soprattutto delle singole scuole. Tali evidenze costituiscono un buon viatico per un uso – e per un ridisegno – congiunto delle due rilevazioni. In particolare, esse suggeriscono l’opportunità di un disegno ex ante di meccanismi di ancoraggio dei risultati delle RN nella metrica fornita da PISA, con il vantaggio di consentire comparazioni nel tempo e nello spazio, rispetto agli altri paesi OCSE. English Abstract: This work verifies the consistency of the results of two surveys of Italian students’ proficiency: the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Italy’s national assessment (Invalsi), both conducted in 2012. Focusing especially on the common part of the reference student population (15-year-olds in the second year of high school), the two surveys offer evidence of a similar pattern of achievement differentials in Italy both in relation to different family backgrounds and at the geographical level. The results are also consistent with regard to the overall variance of the scores, although some problems arise in the Invalsi national assessment owing to a significant incidence of cheating and imperfect correction for it, which generates further variability of scores. The two surveys also provide similar results at the level of both individual students and schools. These findings are a good starting point for the joint use and re-designing of the two surveys; in particular, they suggests the advisability of designing ex ante mechanisms for anchoring the Invalsi scores in the metrics provided by PISA, with the indubitable advantage of permitting comparisons across time and with other OECD countries.
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PISA 2012 included an optional computer-based assessment (CBA) focusing on mathematics, reading skills and problem solving. Italian students performed better in the CBA than in the paper-based assessment (PBA). This was not due to any... more
PISA 2012 included an optional computer-based assessment (CBA) focusing on mathematics, reading skills and problem solving. Italian students performed better in the CBA than in the paper-based assessment (PBA). This was not due to any specific features of the student samples in Italy and in the other countries included in the comparison. One of the reasons seems to be that Italian students are less determined in their approach to paper-based tests, during which they often fail to read all the questions and have trouble in finishing in the allotted time. Furthermore, this study finds that students’ competencies as revealed by the CBA are, other things being equal, strongly correlated with those in the paper-based tests, especially in mathematics, and that the pattern of results is almost the same for both kinds of test. Competencies in problem solving are in turn positively associated with a greater familiarity with digital tests. Nevertheless, being excellent in the PBA is not strictly necessary to obtain an excellent result in the CBA as well, since the latter test probably shows talents which are not revealed in paper-based tests, more similar to traditional school exams.
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The paper shows that siting procedures taking local preferences into account should be preferred when the heterogeneity in preferences across communities is large relative to that in constructing and operating costs. Preferences are... more
The paper shows that siting procedures taking local preferences into account should be preferred when the heterogeneity in preferences across communities is large relative to that in constructing and operating costs. Preferences are better elicited through auction-like mechanisms rather than multilateral negotiations if: credible information about the risks are available; conflicting preferences at the local level can be preliminarily aggregated; compensations are mainly monetary. The conflict between highly centralized siting procedures and highly decentralized administrative institutions is identified as a critical point.
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This book analyses the impact of European tax and benefit systems on incentives to create and take up jobs. European policymakers face tough choices as reforms to these systems are costly and recognising and understanding the complex... more
This book analyses the impact of European tax and benefit systems on incentives to create and take up jobs. European policymakers face tough choices as reforms to these systems are costly and recognising and understanding the complex trade-offs involved – a pre-condition to pushing the reform process forward – is the aim of this volume.
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This paper, after recalling the importance of a good University system also for a potential development of the territory, analyses the delays that characterise the Universities of Southern Italy on average in terms of resources,... more
This paper, after recalling the importance of a good University system also for a potential development of the territory, analyses the delays that characterise the Universities of Southern Italy on average in terms of resources, students' academic careers and research results. It stresses that part of the delay in student achievement and funding capacity depends on context factors, such as the quality of the entire educational path of Southern students and the lower level of local development. At the same time, it highlights how the results of Southern Universities, especially in the field of research, and the lower quality of recruitment also depend on a more marked self-reference in the management of individual Universities and a lower sensitivity to the quality of results. Lastly, it underlines that such problems, including the resource gap, are not recent and therefore cannot be attributed to the important changes introduced in recent years in the allocation of public funds, aimed at linking the distribution of resources to the results achieved. Then, it outlines proposals for intervention which are based on the need to expand the overall funding of the Italian university system. In this context, it is considered appropriate to define a reserve of additional resources to be allocated to Southern Italy according to explicit policy objectives, which take into account the factors disadvantaging the territory. The allocation of these funds should however be based on efficiency and reward criteria, so as not to alter the system of incentives that has been built with effort in recent years. Finally, it suggests that some measures are more explicitly aimed at encouraging the quality of recruitment and the mobility of the teaching staff, in order to break that localism and self-referential mechanisms that seem to have mostly diverted the attention to quality results in the South of Italy.
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ABSTRACT