Ivano Scotti

Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II", Dept of Social Sciences (Naples), Faculty Member

Università del Molise, Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Faculty Member

University of Pisa, Department of Political Sciences, Research Fellow

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Ivano Scotti, PhD in Sociology and Social Research. He was Research Fellow at the Department of Social Sciences of the University of Naples 'Federico II' in 2014 and 2016. Currently he is Research Fellow at the University of Pisa, Department of Political Sciences. His prevalent area of interests are corporate communication and environmental sociology. Recently he has focused on renewable energy issues, green jobs/professions and sustainable consumption. In 2014 he has been visiting fellow at the Laboratoire méditerranéen de soiologie (LAMES) of the Aix-Marseille Université (France).
Supervisors: Luigi Pellizzoni and Mirella Giannini
Phone: (+39) 333 68 87 899
Address: University of Pisa, Department of Political Sciences, Via Serafini 3 - 56126 Pisa (Italy)

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Josiah Heyman

University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)

Mariya Ivancheva

University of Strathclyde, Glasgow

Andreas Umland

National University of "Kyiv-Mohyla Academy"

Don Ross

University College Cork

Javier Díaz Noci

Pompeu Fabra University

Benjamin Isakhan

Deakin University

Bob Jessop

Lancaster University

Scott R. Stroud

The University of Texas at Austin

Sida Liu

The University of Hong Kong

David Seamon

Kansas State University

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Papers by Ivano Scotti

Controversial Outcomes of Green Energy Policy in Southern Italy: the Case of Basilicata

Rivista economica del Mezzogiorno, 2013

The policies adopted in favor of the renewable energy in Italy have contributed to increase their... more The policies adopted in favor of the renewable energy in Italy have contributed to increase their importance in the national energy balance. Moreover, according to planned policies, the development of green energy should be related both to the development of the renewable industrial sector (manufacturing, installation companies, and so on) and to an energy system with a wider social redistribution of economic and ecological benefits arising from their use, particularly at local level. Nevertheless, implemented policies do not seem to have been able to adequately promote those last two purposes, especially in Southern Italy. Analyzing policy outcomes and possible reasons of its outcomes may help to improve future planning. In this perspective, this paper aims at outlining the outcomes of a survey about the promotion and management of renewable energy in Southern Italy, focusing on a specific region: Basilicata. In particular, the discussion aims at analyzing, on the one hand, the current trends about renewable energy policies in order to highlight the possible outcomes in the short-medium term and, on the other hand, the first results of a cognitive survey that has described in detail the current situation of companies and employees of the green energy sector in Basilicata.

When the Wind Does Not Make Noise: the Peaceful Experience of a Renewable Community

Facing Climate Vulnerability in Mountain Areas: The Role of Rural Actors’ Agency and Situated Knowledge Production

Sustainability

Climate change is challenging in mountain areas, and initiatives to define resilience programs ap... more Climate change is challenging in mountain areas, and initiatives to define resilience programs appear essential to face global warming impacts. Despite the participatory strategy being primarily considered the best solution to involve local actors in adopting resilience actions, the literature stresses how mountain dwellers, like farmers, are often considered passive subjects, and their ability to understand climate change and the actions to adopt is inadequate. Based on this consideration, we aim to highlight the relevance of the mountain actors’ agency, their “lay” situated knowledge, and the epistemology for co-defining resilience actions. Adopting a “weak version” of the Actor-Network Theory as the research posture, we argue that farmers’ perceptions of climate vulnerability is based on their experience of it, and their resilience actions or suggestions are coherent with their endowment resources (financial and knowledge) and their position in the economic system. In this sense,...

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Characterizing value chains’ contribution to resilient and sustainable development in European mountain areas

Journal of Rural Studies

Energy Issues and Social Sciences. Theories and Applications

Wild wind, social storm: ‘energy populism’ in rural areas? An exploratory analysis in France and Italy

HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Jul 1, 2022

Controvento: aree marginali e populismo energetico? Indicazioni preliminari su uno studio di caso

SOCIOLOGIA URBANA E RURALE

Con "populismo energetico" ci si riferisce generalmente alla connessione tra le protest... more Con "populismo energetico" ci si riferisce generalmente alla connessione tra le proteste locali contro le green energy policy e il crescente consenso elettorale verso i movimenti "populisti" in particolare nelle aree rurali e marginali. L'articolo indaga il fenomeno attraverso una ricerca qualitativa sull'eolica in Basilicata. I dati mostrano la complessità e l'ambiguità del populismo energetico suggerendo come questi sia alimentato da un deficit di riconoscimento sociale e politico delle aree marginali.

Gli obiettivi della comunicazione aziendale

EdiSES, 2016

risorsAmbiente - politiche, pratiche e culture di sostenibilità innovativa, IX Convegno Nazionale dei Sociologi dell'Ambiente

Connessioni performative: modernizzazione ecologica e comunità locali

Quaderni di Sociologia, 2014

The Italian policies devoted to green energy transition fostered the deployment of large-sized re... more The Italian policies devoted to green energy transition fostered the deployment of large-sized renewable energy plants. These technologies were and are often challenged by local populations. Otherwise, in the case of small or medium plants, this issue is carried out without local conflicts. The hypothesis herewith proposed is that in non-conflicting experiences the community logic of action contributes to locally translate, through performative connections, the Italian and European ecological modernization policies. This argument is discussed jointly with the presentation of the main findings of the Sasso di Castalda case-study. This is a little mountain municipality of the Basilicata region, that implemented sustainable local policies. The connections that shaped the ecological transition in that community were reconstructed focusing on the environmental governance and regulations as well as social practices at the local context. What the research shows, is the relevance of the relations enacted in a multilevel and heterogeneous network. Indeed, within this pattern diversified skills were activated, along with specific technological and organizational configurations.

Giovani e consumo in tempo di crisi

Franco Angeli, 2017

Wild Wind, Social Storm: “Energy Populism” in Rural Areas? An Exploratory Analysis of France and Italy*

Rural Sociology

The literature has often used the term &quot;populism&quot; as a sensitizing concept to i... more The literature has often used the term &quot;populism&quot; as a sensitizing concept to inquire the increasing relevance of right-wing political organizations in Western countries, specifically in rural areas and marginalized territories (e.g., deindustrialized districts). The spread of populism appears as a consequence of the multidimensional failure of globalized neoliberal capitalist promises of prosperity. In this frame, the current climate agenda is challenged because it is perceived as a source of socio-territorial marginalization and depletion. Local oppositions against green facilities in rural areas and right-populist political forces seem to converge in a common discursive frame. The paper proposes some considerations on the &quot;energy populism&quot; by exploring the phenomenon in France (in Occitanie) and Italy (in Basilicata). The comparison allows us to discuss and problematize the possible links between the reception of renewable policies in rural areas and the attempt of populist movements to become spokesmen for local resistance. The main hypothesis is that the sense of dispossession and non-involvement perceived by the rural population on renewables finds in the populist rhetoric a coherent and effective discursive framework to represent their issues. However, research suggests that the link between local opposition to renewables and populist organizations is weak and instrumental.

Ricostruire solidarietà: l'agire comunicativo nellebotteghe del commercio equo e solidale

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Education as a Resource of Social Innovation

SAGE Open, 2016

Focusing on the Italian context, this research aims to analyze the relationship between investmen... more Focusing on the Italian context, this research aims to analyze the relationship between investment in education and economic development through a critical exam of the human capital theory. This paradigm is compared with the social investment paradigm, particularly the Esping-Andersen’s thesis, which seems more useful to unfold the link between social stratification and education level as a resource of social innovation. From this standpoint, our hypothesis is that educational policies have positive effects on the economic system if they are oriented to reduce socio-economic inequalities increasing the rate of social inclusion, which can promote a wider social innovation.

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Societt, Economia E Spazio a Napoli. Esplorazioni E Riflessioni (Society, Economy and Space in Naples. Explorations and Reflections)

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2016

Italian Abstract: Napoli e il punto focale di una delle piu estese, dense e abitate aree metropol... more Italian Abstract: Napoli e il punto focale di una delle piu estese, dense e abitate aree metropolitane d’Europa. Un’area metropolitana di grande complessita in termini geografici, sociali, economici, politici e culturali - caratterizzata da profondi dis-equilibri. Data la sua scala, le sue prestazioni influenzano la traiettoria di sviluppo economico dell’Italia in misura rilevante. Su Napoli pesa un pregiudizio analitico: troppo complesso il suo sistema urbano, troppo elevata la sua frammentazione politicoamministrativa, troppo anomali e intrattabili i suoi dis-equilibri per giustificare il tentativo di una rappresentazione sistemica della sua dinamica sociale ed economica. Questa raccolta di saggi intende portare alla luce una prima riflessione in questo particolare quadro emersa da una serie di seminari, che il GSSI Social Sciences ha organizzato all’Aquila, come spazio di discussione e confronto - aperto e in costruzione - per giovani studiosi che stanno svolgendo attivita di ricerca sul sistema territoriale di Napoli.English Abstract: Naples is the focal point of one of the most extensive, dense and populated metropolitan areas in Europe. A metropolitan area of great geographic, social, economic, political and cultural complexity - in fact it is characterized by profound dis-equilibrium. Given its scale, its performance significantly affects Italy's economic development trajectory. On Naples weights an analytical bias: its too complex urban system, too high political-amministrative fragmentation, too abnormal and intractable dis-equilibria do not allow to justify the attempts of a systemic representation of its social and economic dynamics. This collection of essays aims to bring out a first reflection in this particular framework that emerged from a series of seminars that the GSSI Social Sciences held in L'Aquila, as a space for discussion and debate - open and under construction - for young scholars who are conducting research on the territorial system of Naples.

Sfera pubblica, conflitto ambientale e transizione energetica

PRISMA Economia - Società - Lavoro, 2015

La transizione energetica sostenibile e uno dei temi maggiormente discussi a livello internaziona... more La transizione energetica sostenibile e uno dei temi maggiormente discussi a livello internazionale. In questo dibattito alcuni studi hanno enfatizzato il ruolo della societa civile quale promotrice del mutamento, tuttavia, la presenza di conflitti ambientali locali contro gli impianti rinnovabili e un aspetto controverso meno approfondito nella discussione della transizione energetica. L’analisi di questi conflitti potrebbe pero consentire di approfondire l'interconnessione esistente tra le dimensioni politiche, socio-culturali e territoriali coinvolte nel complesso ed incerto processo di transizione. In questo articolo si intende offrire un contributo a tale discussione utilizzando i concetti chiave della prospettiva analitica habermasiana. L’ipotesi che si avanza e che i conflitti ambientali locali permettono di aprire un contenzioso discorsivo nella sfera pubblica locale in cui la societa civile puo promuove alternative ai consolidati percorsi di transizione sostenibile. Analizzando la disputa relativa alla realizzazione di un grande impianto solare termodinamico in Basilicata, l’articolo intende ricostruire i contenuti e la forma dei discorsi pubblici che lo hanno strutturato

Valutazione delle occupazioni e gruppi socio-occupazionali

Sociologia del lavoro, Apr 1, 2009

... Valutazione delle occupazioni e gruppi socio-occupazionali. Titolo Rivista: SOCIOLOGIA DEL LA... more

Understanding energy commons. Polycentricity, translation and intermediation

The paper aims to contribute to the study of the transformation of current energy systems towards... more The paper aims to contribute to the study of the transformation of current energy systems towards low-carbon decentralized models by combining the literature on common-pool resources (CPR) and the sociology of translation. A number of authors have stressed the relevance of analysing energy transition in terms of commons. Starting from this literature we try to show the added value of a pragmatic approach, inspired by translation sociology, to the commons in the energy sector. According to translation sociology, the socio-material construction of a CPR is a process of assembling that connects and shapes all the entities involved in a polycentric arrangement. Translation needs permanent negotiation and mutual recognition in order to ensure the cooperation required by the program of action. We apply this analytical framework to two different empirical cases: renewable energy cooperatives in Italy and the re-municipalisation of energy grids in Germany. These cases are particularly relevant because they are inspired by a self-organization principle lying at the core of the polycentric systems perspective. We investigate key features of the case-studies focusing on three issues: 1) the CPR as an emergent cognitive and practical program of action; 2) the process of intermediation; 3) the morphology of the polycentric network. The added value of the proposed approach is to problematize the common in itself, showing how energy can be differently commonized in practice.

Energy Issues and Social Sciences. Theories and Applications

by Alfredo Agustoni, Ivano Scotti, and Mara Maretti

Smart and sustainable food: What is ahead?

Future Foods

Controversial Outcomes of Green Energy Policy in Southern Italy: the Case of Basilicata

Rivista economica del Mezzogiorno, 2013

When the Wind Does Not Make Noise: the Peaceful Experience of a Renewable Community

Facing Climate Vulnerability in Mountain Areas: The Role of Rural Actors’ Agency and Situated Knowledge Production

Sustainability

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Characterizing value chains’ contribution to resilient and sustainable development in European mountain areas

Journal of Rural Studies

Energy Issues and Social Sciences. Theories and Applications

Wild wind, social storm: ‘energy populism’ in rural areas? An exploratory analysis in France and Italy

HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Jul 1, 2022

Controvento: aree marginali e populismo energetico? Indicazioni preliminari su uno studio di caso

SOCIOLOGIA URBANA E RURALE

Gli obiettivi della comunicazione aziendale

EdiSES, 2016

risorsAmbiente - politiche, pratiche e culture di sostenibilità innovativa, IX Convegno Nazionale dei Sociologi dell'Ambiente

Connessioni performative: modernizzazione ecologica e comunità locali

Quaderni di Sociologia, 2014

Giovani e consumo in tempo di crisi

Franco Angeli, 2017

Wild Wind, Social Storm: “Energy Populism” in Rural Areas? An Exploratory Analysis of France and Italy*

Rural Sociology

Ricostruire solidarietà: l'agire comunicativo nellebotteghe del commercio equo e solidale

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Education as a Resource of Social Innovation

SAGE Open, 2016

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Societt, Economia E Spazio a Napoli. Esplorazioni E Riflessioni (Society, Economy and Space in Naples. Explorations and Reflections)

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2016

Sfera pubblica, conflitto ambientale e transizione energetica

PRISMA Economia - Società - Lavoro, 2015

Valutazione delle occupazioni e gruppi socio-occupazionali

Sociologia del lavoro, Apr 1, 2009

... Valutazione delle occupazioni e gruppi socio-occupazionali. Titolo Rivista: SOCIOLOGIA DEL LA... more

Understanding energy commons. Polycentricity, translation and intermediation

Energy Issues and Social Sciences. Theories and Applications

by Alfredo Agustoni, Ivano Scotti, and Mara Maretti

Smart and sustainable food: What is ahead?

Future Foods

Scotti I. (2014), Environmental conflict and energy transition: an exploratory study (presentation in Italian)

La transizione energetica sostenibile è uno dei temi maggiormente discussi a livello internaziona... more La transizione energetica sostenibile è uno dei temi maggiormente discussi a livello internazionale. In questo dibattito alcuni studi hanno enfatizzato il ruolo della società civile quale promotrice del mutamento, tuttavia, la presenza di conflitti ambientali locali contro gli impianti rinnovabili è un aspetto controverso meno approfondito nella discussione della transizione energetica.

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Scotti I. (2014), The mediator trustee: the role of Municipal governments in the energy transition process in the Basilicata region (presentation in English)

Minervini D., Scotti I. (2014), The ecological modernization of a local community: the case of Sasso di Castalda (presentation in Italian)

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Minervini D., Scotti I. (2013), When the wind does not make noise: the peaceful experience of a renewable community (presentation in English)

In the last few years an increasing amount of resources have been invested in Southern Italy in t... more In the last few years an increasing amount of resources have been invested in Southern Italy in the field of renewable energy, particularly wind farms and solar power plants. This represents one of the main pillars of Italian ecological modernisation.
Frequently these plants are plagued by political and technical controversies. Previous research has shown that these conflicts are frequently the result of the absence of involvement of the local community in the decision-making process. The argument of the opponents is based on issues of energy and environmental imbalance, such as the degradation on the natural integrity and the depreciation of the real estate as well as potential health risks.
Nevertheless, there are also some non-conflictive cases in the green energy process. The social disputes, in fact, do not seem to occur in the case of small plants owned by local citizens or in the City-owned green energy facilities. In these socio-technical configurations the energy issue seems connected to more equitable solutions in terms of common local advantage. However, these socio-technical assemblages are still poorlystudied.
The purpose of this paper is to explore in depth one of these experiences, in which an action shared by the community brought forth the creation of small renewable facilities. In particular the incident of Sasso di Castalda, a small mountain municipality in Southern Italy, is analyzed. In this paper, we adopt a narrative approach to illustrate how ecological modernization was peacefully put into practice in this experience.

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Scotti, I. (2012), Public Purposes and Private Interests in the Governance of Green Energy Co-Provision: the Case of the Basilicata Region (presentation in English)

In this paper we present the results of a research carried out in the Basilicata Region (Southern... more In this paper we present the results of a research carried out in the Basilicata Region (Southern Italy) regarding the governance of renewable energy resources. The aim of this study is to understand the relationship between public purposes and private interests for renewable energy power. We chose Basilicata because in some aspects, it represents a perfect example regarding this issue in Southern Italy. Although Italy has approved a number of laws to increase the use of renewable energy following the European directions and even though each Regional Government has adopted its own energy plan to support this policy, these rules seem to promote the co-provision of energy from large installations which have limited positive effects in local communities and controversial results on the environment and the areas where these plants are installed. According to the findings of our research, it appears that a balanced governance of these energy solutions needs the support of local actors to organize the future socio-technical green energy regime. This study used concepts from Habermas' theory which were adapted to our topic.

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Sacco E., Scotti I. (2012), Under the bridge of Messina. Civils society, conflicts, governance, and participation (presentation in English)

Scotti I. (2012), Public purposes and private interests in the governance of green energy co-provision: the case of Basilicata region (presentation in English)

Environment and Ecology: An Introduction (slides in Italian)

Vento forte. Eolico e professioni della green economy.

L a transizione ecologica è un tema di grande attualità. La società indu-striale ha determinato l... more L a transizione ecologica è un tema di grande attualità. La società indu-striale ha determinato l'emergere di nuovi rischi per la salute dell'uo-mo e per gli equilibri ecosistemici del pianeta. La consapevolezza della necessità di un profondo mutamento in senso ecologico sembra piuttosto radicata e il sostegno, in generale, alle green policies pare confermarlo. N ell'elaborazione di soluzioni innovative green, i "saperi esperti" gio-cano un ruolo rilevante. In questo scenario, il testo prova a inda-gare il ruolo e la funzione dei professionisti verdi nel caso dell'energia dal vento, concentrandosi sul profilo professionale dello sviluppatore di impianti eolici (wind-farm developer). Di che tipo di professione si trat-ta? Qual è il bagaglio di conoscenze di tali figure? Che rapporto intrat-tengono con il contesto socio-territoriale in cui operano? In che modo si interfacciano con gli interessi del capitalismo green? In quale maniera mediano gli interessi delle comunità locali? Attraverso il richiamo a di-versi riferimenti teorici (come l'approccio pragmatico alle professioni e l'Actor-Network Theory) e le risultanze di una ricerca empirica condotta nell'Appennino meridionale, il volume vuole contribuire a rispondere a questi quesiti, delineando inoltre la possibilità di un professionalismo "verde" che traduca la transizione ecologica a livello locale facendosi ca-rico degli interessi delle comunità territoriali. I vano Scotti, sociologo, ha conseguito il dottorato presso l'Università di Napo-li "Federico II" ed è attualmente assegnista di ricerca presso il Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Agro-ambientali dell'Università di Pisa. La sua produzione scientifica e i suoi interessi di ricerca si focalizzano sulle tematiche socio-ambientali.

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Energy Issues and Social Sciences. Theories and Applications

by Mara Maretti, dario minervini, Marco Frey, and Ivano Scotti

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(2017) Ecopreneurs, rural development and alternative socio-technical arrangements for community renewable energy. Journal of Rural Studies, Volume 52, May 2017, Pages 33–41

by Rita Salvatore, Mara Maretti, and Ivano Scotti

This paper contributes to study of the relationship between social innovations concerning renewab... more This paper contributes to study of the relationship between social innovations concerning renewable energy and rural development, and it emphasizes the need to pay attention to these issues in relation to the dimensions of place and locality. The paper focuses on the role of broadly-defined community renewable energy projects in local rural development. It does so by analyzing three case studies from Northern, Central and Southern Italy. All three case studies concern fragile rural areas, i.e. mountain areas. On the basis of the analysis of original empirical material, we highlight how the three kinds of ecopreneur studied have performed various processes of energy re-territorialisation in rural areas. These processes have involved different socio-technical arrangements depending on the interaction between the local energy landscape – an assemblage of local formal and informal institutions as well as geographical characteristics – and the ability of individual ecopreneurs, with their different roles, motivations and practices (as energy entrepreneurs, mayors or technicians), to launch a community ecological modernization process.

The ‘patchy’ spread of renewables: A socio-territorial perspective on the energy transition process

by Giovanni Carrosio and Ivano Scotti

Volume 129, 2019

In the energy transition process the district heating networks and the wind power facilities play... more In the energy transition process the district heating networks and the wind power facilities play a key role. These two technologies can contribute to establish models of co-provision involving new social actors in the energy field. Despite that, the socio-organizational change appears patchy. In Italy, these options are dominated by large utilities and the few forms of energy co-production are to be found in specific contexts. The influence of socio-territorial features on the energy transition seem relevant. This paper aims analysing energy transition while focusing on the institutional, relational and territorial dimensions to unfold how energy innovations take place within territorial contexts. In this respect, energy transition is investigated considering both the district heating and the wind power in Italy. The analysis suggests that the transition is influenced by the way in which territorial context is destabilized by the perturbations of energy landscape.

Call for Paper Sisec 2021

by Guido Cavalca and Ivano Scotti

Il capitalismo ha sperimentato ripetute crisi nel corso degli ultimi decenni, assumendole nei fat... more Il capitalismo ha sperimentato ripetute crisi nel corso degli ultimi decenni, assumendole nei fatti come occasioni rigenerative più che di messa in discussione. La crisi energetica degli anni 70, il venir meno delle economie pianificate, lo scoppio della bolla della "new economy" e la crisi finanziaria nel 2007-8 sono alcuni dei precedenti che, come l'attuale pandemia di COVID-19, hanno comunque aperto nuovi spazi di analisi e di critica del capitalismo. La ricerca sociale marxista ha tradizionalmente dedicato maggiore attenzione all'analisi del capitalismo e delle sue crisi, considerandole come sintomatiche delle sue contraddizioni interne e del suo possibile superamento. In alcune versioni di questo filone teorico si è giunti a costruire visioni deterministiche, che trovano ancora oggi una curiosa somiglianza nella dichiarata "necessità" di un cambiamento secondo un refrain del tipo "nulla sarà come prima". È, pertanto, utile indagare le tendenze al mutamento del capitalismo di fronte alla pandemia di COVID-19 a partire dagli spazi di analisi e di critica che la teoria sociale ha già aperto con la ricerca sulle forme alternative di economia: si pensi in particolare alle teorie e pratiche sociali, caratterizzate da gradi differenti di conflittualità e radicalità, dell'economia civile (Bruni e alla workers' economy (Azzellini 2015) e all'economia del "dono" e della decrescita (Herrero 2010; Vaughan 2014). La sessione intende promuovere, da un lato, un dibattito sulle proposte di "economie alternative", raccogliendo contributi che tengano insieme le dimensioni analitica-descrittiva e prescrittiva approfondendo uno o più approcci teorici, e dall'altro, la ripresa della critica agli attuali limiti del modello di sviluppo capitalistico anche alla luce della crisi climatica di cui le epidemie risultano anche una conseguenza sempre più diretta. In questa direzione sono sollecitati contributi che analizzino il ruolo, le azioni e le tensioni che investono le istituzioni pubbliche di governo e gli altri attori della governance economica (sotto forma di regolamentazione normativa, conflitti, sperimentazioni, processi di innovazione), prestando attenzione alle forme di protagonismo della società che promuovono forme alternative di lavoro, produzione e consumo.

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