Places that once mattered: sub-municipal contestability in Italian parliamentary elections within a post-Fordist city – the case of Turin

PurposeThis paper shows the accounting, accountability and calculative practices associated with emergency food allocations by the City of Turin through a program to feed the vulnerable during COVID-19.Design/methodology/approachThis is a single case study framed by Foucault's governmentality concept. The data was collected through interviews with key institutional actors and triangulated against decrees, circulars, ordinances and other publicly available documents.FindingsThe accounting tools of governmentality are always incomplete. Sometimes unique situations and crises help us to revise and improve the tools we have. Other times, they demand entirely new tools.Research limitations/implicationsAccounting needs both things to count and a context to count them. In the case of food assistance, what is counted is people. In Turin's case, many people had never been counted – either because there was no need or because they were unaccounted for by choice. Now, the government was accountable for the welfare of both. Thus, new classification systems emerged, as did organisational and accounting solutions.Originality/valueAlthough the accounting-for-disasters literature is diverse, studies too often favour the macro social, economic and political issues surrounding crises, neglecting the micro issues associated with governmentality and calculative practices.

The paper focuses on the access to housing of refugees, considering it an essential step on the integration path and a precondition for the full enjoyment of social and civil rights as well as social services. In Western countries, refugees mostly live in urban settings and local authorities' actions and decisions play a relevant role in shaping opportunities and obstacles for social inclusion. Lack of, or deficiencies in housing policies can result in challenging situations, jeopardising this path. The paper investigates the obstacles local authorities create through both informal practices and administrative provisions. The analysis highlights a gap between the national legal framework and its local implementation that creates major disruptions in the integration path. The paper takes the city of Turin (Italy) as a case study. A multi-method study was carried out to investigate these issues in the period between November 2007 and July 2013. In the case of Turin, within a scenario characterised by a huge absence of systematic policies supporting refugees' access to housing, many refugees have opted for squatting. While underlining refugees' agency, these experiences appear unable to properly tackle their housing needs and to achieve the objectives of social recognition and public solidarity.

Cities with their innovative capacity are key places to address critical climate, environmental and health challenges. Urban experimentations, such as Living Labs, can represent a starting point to reintroduce resources into the production cycle and reduce environmental impacts, embracing the paradigm of the circular economy (CE). According to recent studies, Living Labs at a city scale could generate significant environmental benefits, improvements in quality of life and positive impacts on citizens' health.1 This paper aims at presenting the case of the Torino Living Lab on Sharing and Circular Economy (LLSC) to point out possible future scenarios of urban sustainable policies. The case study is analysed in five sections: (1) the description of the new permanent laboratory proposed by the City of Turin; (2) the past experiences of Living Labs in Turin; (3) the birth of LLSC and the involvement strategy; (4) the introduction of the eight admitted experimentations. In the light of the results collected, the last paragraph (5) came up with the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Treaths (SWOT) analysis in the LLSC. Eventually, it deals with the research question by offering a common ground for global and local policies focused on sustainability and CE.

Estimates of fiscal capacity and expenditure needs are used to evaluate the relative fiscal health of municipalities in the metropolitan areas of Genoa and Turin. Using 2012 data, we find that in both areas the inner core is fiscally disadvantaged, in Turin relative to the adjacent belts, and in Genoa relative to the rest of the province. Despite higher fiscal capacity in a relatively resilient center city, the service requirements for which the city of Turin is responsible still leave it in weaker fiscal health than its suburbs. In Genoa, which has had a similar degree of economic decline as Turin, the entire metro area is fiscally weak relative to the rest of the province. One possible solution to the uneven geographic distribution of fiscal capacity and expenditure needs in metro areas is amalgamation. We simulate static amalgamations, in which the separate fiscal resources of the inner core city and the outer belts are combined into a single entity, and the expenditure needs are also equally shared across the metro area. In Turin, a metropolitan fiscal combination (ignoring the rest of the province) would, at least in the first instance, prove fiscally beneficial to Turin. In the case of Genoa, the fiscal weakness of the entire metropolitan area means that, for amalgamation to benefit the inner core, the merger would have to include at least some of the municipalities in the rest of the province.

Globalization and Socio-Cultural Change in Qatar

As a part of a still on-going five-years research conducted on the social impact of the presently under-construction incineration plant in the city of Turin, Italy, the paper has its own background in the scientific domain known as Science-Technology-Society studies (STSs). One of the 320 environmental conflicts at the moment spread across the country, the Turin case is here used as a revelatory case for a critical discussion about uncertainty, risk and the increasingly deep tensions between Science and Society, lay public and expertise. Moreover, a multi-technique approach, including lexical correspondence analysis, is adopted to gather empirical evidence about the hypothesis, eventually verified, that public images of Science, Technology and scientists actually have a significant influence on the attitude towards the plant.

T HE PROLIFERATION OF INTEREST GROUPS and the explosion of group advocacy in the United States and other liberal democracies in the 1980s has led to a renewed attention to the comparative study of interest politics. Among the major questions at issue is the relationship between political, social and economic change and group formation, proliferation, organizational maintenance and group action. Interest group theory suggests that groups proliferate during periods of rapid change. As India approaches its first half century of independence, a study of changes in its interest group system provides an excellent opportunity to attempt to assess the impact of systemic change on interest group development and behavior.' In the decades since independence and especially since 1980, India has experienced an accelerated process of economic, social and political change. The Indian rate of economic growth has increased, literacy rates have risen sharply, the pace of urbanization has quickened and most importantly the size of its middle class has increased significantly. These economic and social changes have been accompanied by striking political and policy changes that include the decline of party, heightened pressure for decentralization and fundamental alteration of India's past model of planned development. These changes have begun to alter the nature and conduct of interest politics in India. India has experienced an increase in the mobilization, proliferation and transformation of groups and significant changes in interest group roles, styles and strategies. As a result the Indian system of state-dominated pluralism in which autonomous groups were overshadowed by an omnipresent state2 is eroding as interest politics have

Conventional Wisdom and the Next Unknown

Acknowledgments Introduction The St. Luke Penny Savings Bank: A Change Vignette Purpose, Concepts, and Practices PART I. CONCEPTUAL PERSPECTIVES ON LEADING CHANGE Introduction Ch 1. Causality, Change, and Leadership by Gill Robinson Hickman and Richard A. Couto Barbara Rose Johns Analytical Elements Conclusion PART II. LEADING ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE Introduction The Environment of Organizational Change Purpose of Organizational Change Change Vignette: Technology Solutions Turns Disaster Into Dividends Ch 2. Concepts of Organizational Change What Kind of Organizational Change Do We Want or Need? Conclusion Ch 3. Concepts of Leadership in Organizational Change What Type of Leadership Do We Want or Need to Accomplish Change? Conclusion Ch 4. Organizational Change Practices Which Practices Do We Employ To Implement Change? Conclusion Applications and Reflections PART III. LEADING COMMUNITIY AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE Ch 5. Community Change Context by Richard A. Couto, Sarah Hippensteel and Marti Goetz Introduction Purpose of Community Change Change Vignette: Citizens for the Responsible Destruction of Chemical Weapons Concepts of Change Concepts of Leadership Change Practices Conclusion Application and Reflection Ch 6. Crossing Organizational and Community Contexts Introduction Change Vignette: Microcredit to Rural Women Concepts of Change Across Organizational and Community Contexts Concepts of Leadership Across Organizational and Community Contexts Change Practices Across Organizational and Community Contexts Conclusion PART IV. LEADING POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CHANGE Ch 7. Political Change Context by Richard A. Couto Introduction Purpose of Political Change Change Vignette: Extraordinary Rendition Concepts of Political Change Concepts of Political Leadership Change Practices Conclusion Application and Reflection Ch 8. Social Change Context Introduction The Purpose of Social Change Change Vignette: OASIS: An Initiative in the Mental Health Consumer Movement Concepts of Social Change Concepts of Social Change Leadership Social Change Practices Conclusion Application and Reflection Ch 9. Crossing Political and Social Contexts Introduction Vignette: The Sikh Coalition Concepts of Political and Social Change Concepts of Political and Social Leadership Change Practices Across Political and Social Contexts Conclusion PART V. LEADING GLOBAL CHANGE Ch 10. Global Change Context by Rebecca Todd Peters and Gill Robinson Hickman Introduction Purpose of Global Change Change Vignette: Chad-Cameroon Pipeline Concepts of Global Change Concepts of Global Leadership Global Change Practices Conclusion Application and Reflection Ch 11. Crossing Global and Social Contexts: Virtual Activism in Transnational Dotcauses, E-Movements, and Internet Nongovernmental Organizations Introduction Change Vignette: Is Global Civil Society a Good Thing? Concepts of Virtual Change Concepts of Virtual Leadership Virtual Change Practices Conclusion Conclusion: Connecting Concepts and Practices in Multiple Contexts Epilogue: Leading Intellectual Change: The Power of Ideas by James MacGregor Burns Index About the Author About the Contributors

ABSTRACTThe topic of this article is the change of stylistic dominant in the national cinemas of post-Yugoslav countries after the year 2000 and the huge political changes in Croatia and Serbia. In all post-Yugoslav states this was a period of political, social and economic changes, which is usually named by a common denominator: ‘normalization’. The objects of my analysis are three films coming from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Croatia. All these films: Grbavica/Esma's Secret (Jasmila Žbanić), Apsolutnih 100/Absolute 100 (Srdan Golubović) and Armin (Ognjen Sviličić) share many stylistic and thematic similarities. All three films break, implicitly or explicitly, with the tradition of Yugoslav cinema of the 1990s and the notion of ‘Balkan cinema’, inherited by auteurs like Kusturica or Dragojević. Some of them even include a metafilmic critique of that model. These three films are examples of the broader stylistic shift, which is connected with political and social changes. Therefore, the new stylistic dominant could be named as ‘cinema of normalization’.

The links between uncertainty and adaptive capacities suggests that developing adequate responses to the vicissitudes of global and local events is key to enabling rapid rebound and at the very least, efficient adaptation. When it comes to social, political, and economic change, these dimensions tend to unfold gradually making responses dependent on mutable circumstantial and contextual stimuli. This contrasts with fast change where scale, change, and response occur at different speeds. International tourism, which is often accompanied by the global branding of multinational companies, can be viewed as a symbolic coming of age for an emerging economy. In such contexts where tourism is a vital cog in the local economy, the overriding ability to adapt and deal effectively with change frames the nature and extent of resilience. A global scan of tourism in practice exemplifies that at a local level, tourism communities are increasingly subject to the repercussions of wider global developments, and that the course of building adaptive capacities, although reliant on local action to some degree, pivots on the extent of global change, as well as particular variations in regional and country contexts. That tourism drives social change is often made obvious where its manifestation and rapid growth becomes a prominent instigator of change, intertwining with the socio-economic fabric of communities and creating new norms. In examining tourism and resilience, with a focus on social, economic, and political change, the human-in-nature perspective and the ways in which this interaction plays out is emphasised. The tourism system is a complex adaptive system with each part either working to enhance or limit resilience building, thus necessitating a whole-of-system emphasis, rather than tinkering with its individual parts. Adapting to change is a continual, evolutionary process, responding to feedback loops and instituting resilience measures. Hopefully this is done in deliberate and organised ways, wherein policy makers, community, and industry are cohesive, rather than in ad hoc, unintended ways where the gulf between government, industry and community is wide.

HE problem of modernizing undeveloped areas may be usefully approached from the point of view of population changes for two reasons: (1) It is from the demographic point of view that the interrelated nature of social, economic, and political change is most apparent in long-range perspective; and (2) for a large proportion of the world it is the impact of economic and social change on population growth that presents one of the major obstacles to modernization. The purpose of this introductory note is to serve as a background for the following papers by indicating briefly, even dogmatically, the nature of the impact of social and economic change on population growth, particularly in the undeveloped regions of dense settlement. In addition, some of the things that need to be done at the international level in the field of population studies will be suggested. The common element in the demographic situation of undeveloped areas is the capacity of the population for rapid growth, given political stability and economic expansion. Some of the areas are sparsely settled, some are among the world's most densely populated regions; some have recently had declining numbers, others are growing slowly, and still others at a very rapid pace. In matters of density and current rates of growth there is no uniformity. The common characteristic is that, in virtually all, more stable government and economic development would produce a rapid and somewhat prolonged population increase. There is no mystery about the rapid population growth that accompanies modernization in undeveloped areas. The process has been observed many times and the general principles are well understood. Societies with low levels of technical skill are

During the past three decades, China has experienced tremendous changes in urbanization, from 18% in 1980 to 52% in 2014, resulting in a net increase of over 400 million in the urban population (Zhejiang Statistical Bureau, 2015). In this transition process, China’s cities have also been undergoing a series of difficulties and challenges, including the declining downtown, environment deterioration, social imbalance, urban poverty, housing shortage, social stratification, land shortage and an aging society. Changes at the community level can be seen as the response to urban and rural social and institutional changes. This is because the residential community is not only the focus of daily life and social activities, but also produces profound and comprehensive interaction with city re-structuring and growth (See Chapter one and two). As a result, studies of the detailed characteristics of urban changes at community-level have become the crucial perspective for understanding the internal logic of urban changes, whether they be social, economic or administrative. Therefore, the research aim is To analyse the characteristics of socio-economic changes at the neighbourhood level in Ningbo from the 1980s to the 2010s, to clarify the mechanisms of neighborhood changes in transitional China for supporting better development. The thesis draws upon an evidence base comprising personal observation, completed questionnaires from 156 residents (locals, students and migrants), and interviews of 120 local residents, migrants, members of Community Committee and Village Committee, civil servants and researchers, together with evidence drawn from Ningbo Yearbook, the 2010 census, and statistical data from Ningbo Statistical Bureau. Based on the appraisal framework designed by means of a literature review of sustainable development and community studies, from the perspective of local residents and migrant workers, it analysed the characteristics of social, economic and administrative changes at the neighbourhood level from three cases of the downtown, urban fringe and suburb of Ningbo from the 1980s to the 2010s. The final part of this research summarized the general characteristics of communities and neighbourhood changes in transitional China, and discussed the mechanisms of the changes from the perspective of institutional changes and urbanization, as well as the motivations of migrants’ social mobility. The research found that the market mechanisms and power involved in social and economic changes are the main causes of community and neighbourhood change in transitional China. However, this does not mean governments totally withdrawing from the process, but their role has changed from the “manipulation of power” to being the “mediation of the stakeholders’ conflicts” and “encouraging participation”. Therefore, it can be called the “dual-track approach”, with everything happening gradually as part of a process of reform, initiated and directed by the state.

The adoption of women’s suffrage in national elections brought expectations of dramatic political and social change throughout the world. But the reality of suffrage was more nuanced. Many who lived through suffrage did not feel they were living through a revolution. Women did not vote in large numbers and their voting patterns did not appear to differ all that much from men’s. But like many notable social, economic, and biological changes, political change can accumulate in slow and gradual ways. Far from having little noticeable effect, recent research has shown that women’s suffrage has in fact brought about significant economic, social, and political change at the domestic level. This chapter describes these changes and presents novel evidence that women’s votes have also had a dramatic, pacifying impact on international affairs.

This research examines new tourism networks, conservation, and social and economic changes in Peru. In doing so, the article illustrates how current political and economic change, global tourism and new forms of conservation are contributing to new geographies of tourism in the country. Through a case study of the Cordillera Huayhuash, the article evaluates the nature of recent increases in tourism in the region, the ways in which these new tourist-related activities are interfacing with new conservation areas, and how they are contributing to local environmental, economic and political change. Based on a mix-methods qualitative approach, the article's major findings illustrate the magnitude and composition of recent increases in tourism to the Cordillera Huayhuash and the economic and social impacts of these activities on communities and households in the region. The article concludes with a set of questions for further geographical research concerned with the ways in which tourism is related to these changes in the Andes.