Associations In Italy Research Articles

Freedom of Association in Italy: Genesis, Evolution and Limits of Protection of Associations in the Italian Legal System

Abstract This paper analyses the different dimensions of freedom of association in Italy. Section 1 introduces the topic and highlights some methodological issues related to comparative law. Section 2 briefly describes the evolution of the provisions protecting freedom of association in Italy from the Albertine Statute to the 1948 Constitution and gives an overview of the various constitutional provisions in which there is an intersection between the issue of freedom of association and the protection of intermediate bodies. Section 3 analyses the entitlement to the right to freedom of association and outlines some past and present derogations for certain categories of public servants, the regulation of constitutionally prohibited associations and the issue of compulsory associations. Section 4 analyses the rights in associations and the rights of associations focusing on compulsory associations and ideologically oriented organisations. Section 5 draws some conclusions and points out some recent legislative trends.

Mediterranean Farmers and Alternative Europes: Resistance, Europeanisation and CAP Reforms in Italy and France (mid-1970s to mid-1980s)

This article explores the active participation and, in some cases, resistance of farmers’ associations in Italy and France to European integration from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. The article examines, firstly, how Italian associations became active, due to their faltering relationship with the Christian Democrats, in searching new forms of political influence through more radical methods of mobilisation. Secondly, through the case of the so-called wine war between France and Italy, the article reveals how resistance to European Economic Community (EEC) reform and even other EEC member states could lead to forms of Europeanisation: exchanges between European organisations reflected shared resistance to specific policies, creating new arenas for collaboration. The analysis of the French–Italian case also offers an opportunity to explore the contrast between agriculture in the Mediterranean and northern countries in the EEC, showing complex Europeanisation dynamics in which both solidarity and competition become evident. Challenging the notion of a ‘permissive consensus’, this article aims to dismantle the notion of a conflict-free past in the history of European integration. In this regard, it underscores the multifaceted nature of European integration, marked by continual clashes and compromises, and provides a critical lens for interpreting the present state of the Brussels institutions.

Actions of the Italian government regarding prisoners of war of Italian nationality of the Austro-Hungarian army during World War I

Importance. From 1915 to 1917, a camp for Austro-Hungarian prisoners of war of Italian nationality functioned in Kirsanov, Tambov Governorate, who accepted the offer of the Italian government to send them to Italy and subsequently join the ranks of its armed forces. The Italian government decided to carefully select prisoners of war based on their political and national trustworthiness, thereby delaying repatriation. Prisoners of war began to write to irredentist associations in Italy and the national press, thereby putting pressure on the Italian government. As a result of these actions, the Italian government changed course to send prisoners of war as soon as possible. The activities of prisoners of war are insufficiently covered in modern historiography. The purpose of the study is the impact of the media on the Italian government, which was provided by prisoners of war of the Austro-Hungarian army of Italian nationality in Tambov Governorate during World War I, aimed at accelerating repatriation to the Italian Kingdom.Materials and Methods. The source base is archival materials, as well as a number of published studies. The retrospective method is used, which allows to recreate, in individual details and later sources, the actions of the Italian government in relation to Austro-Hungarian prisoners of war of Italian nationality.Results and Discussion. It is shown that the sending of prisoners of war to Italy was delayed at the initiative of the Italian government. The prisoners of war who were in the Kirsanov camp were able to put pressure on the Italian government with the help of the media. In the spring of 1916, the government, realizing the possible negative consequences, agreed in favor of all prisoners of war who agreed to join the Italian armed forces, rather than limiting it to a few officers who could pay for the trip.Conclusion. While waiting to be sent to Italy, a group of soldiers and officers, being prisoners of war, contacted the national press and irredentist associations. The purpose of these appeals was to put pressure on the Italian government, which was supposed to speed up the repatriation of prisoners of war.

Influence of age, gender, and willingness to adopt former foodstuffs on the perception of Italian farm animal veterinarians.

Veterinarians play an essential role in improving animal care, as they are often viewed as trusted advisors, particularly in relation to disease control and management; however, little is known about veterinarians' perceptions and attitudes toward alternative feeds. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of age, gender, and willingness to adopt on the attitudes of livestock veterinarians toward the use of alternative feeds in farm animals. A total of 136 active veterinarians completed the online survey, distributed through the main veterinary associations in Italy. The questionnaire contained items on dietary recommendation, awareness, benefit and safety perceptions, and a willingness to adopt former foodstuffs (FFs), complemented with socio-demographic questions. Almost 90% of the population reported a willingness to adopt FFs as feed. Men and women did not share the same perceptions of the nutritional composition of FFs, while the importance of product availability was found to be a key factor driving the age difference. Participants willing to adopt FFs as feed linked positive attitudes to attributes such as digestibility, energy intake, and positive social implications. Our findings provide a basic background on the current use of the FFs in Italy and suggest the need for the development of educational programs and marketing strategies to enhance the acceptability of FFs in farm animals to ultimately promote the transition toward more sustainable animal production. This study has limitations, including the number of recorded responses and reliance on national estimates. Future research is needed to investigate the perceptions of farmers and animal nutritionist from different countries. This could provide a more detailed picture of the current situation in Europe about the potential of using FFs in farm animals' feed, thus further contributing toward a greener and safer livestock production sector.

Preface

This Conference Proceedings volume contains the written versions of the contributions presented during the 78th Conference of the “Associazione Termotecnica Italiana” (ATI). The conference took place on September 14-15, 2023, at the Carpi “Polo Universitario” (Modena province, Italy), of the Department of Engineering “Enzo Ferrari” at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.ATI represents the oldest association in Italy that brings together universities, industries, and technical experts in the field of thermal engineering and energy conversion systems. The 2023 edition of the ATI Conference focused on energy transition problems and provided a platform for discussing recent developments in a wide range of themes. Technical sessions were organized on the following topics: clean, sustainable, and renewable energy production and storage systems internal combustion engines and sustainable mobility, hydrogen production, transport, storage, and utilization, efficient energy use and conversion in systems and processes, energy efficiency in buildings, energy storage systems, hydraulics, pneumatics, and drive systems, energy and indoor air quality (IAQ), measurement and monitoring in energy systems, refrigeration and heat pumps, smart energy systems, smart grids, and distributed power production, thermal control in electric and hybrid vehicles, turbomachines, carbon sequestration, and carbon-negative applications, climate change mitigation in the built environment, innovation in heat transfer problems, and policies to support the energy transition.The opening session of the conference included five keynote lectures by Prof. Marco Baratieri (Libera Università di Bolzano), Ing. Nicola Troiano (Gruppo HERA S.p.A, Conference financial supporter), Ing. Davide Coduri (KSB ITALIA S.p.A, Conference financial supporter), Ing. Bruno Grispino (CPL CONCORDIA Soc. Coop., Conference financial supporter), and Dott. Antonio Panvini (Comitato Termotecnico Italiano).The conference contributions were presented through approximately 80 oral presentations, distributed across 14 technical sessions, and around 30 posters displayed in a dedicated session. More than XXX delegates from the Italian academia as well as the local industrial sector attended the conference.List of Organizing Committee, Scientific Committee are available in this Pdf.

L’associationnisme sénégalais en Italie. Pratiques sociales et dynamiques de territorialization

Senegalese Associationism in Italy: Social Practices and Territorialisation Dynamics. The article focuses on Senegalese associations in Italy, trying to identify the territorial factors that influenced its evolution, in particular the development of new projects and stronger, multi-located and institutionally recognized relational networks. The survey conducted in different Italian contexts brought out a diversified geography of Senegalese associations which offers some consideration about the possibility of considering these associations as real agents of territorial development, both in territories of origin than in those of destination, as well as evaluating the role that local policies, in the field of inter-culture, can play in encouraging the active participation of these organizations in local public life and in strengthening the territorial social capital.

The 5W+1H of Second-Generation Activism: Narratives from Below

The general aim of this article is to give a broad outline of the migrant descendant associations in Italy and the reasons for their protests, with a view to understanding their status in society and the reasons behind their decision to mobilize as a movement. In order to describe the events, behaviour and reasons underlying the movement process, the protests will be examined by borrowing techniques from other practices, such as journalism (the 5Ws+1H model), that will be helpful in describing and preparing the ground for understanding collective actions. Several key features will emerge in this analysis, which offers a broad definition of the movement itself and the articulated network on which it relies on in accordance with the recent social movement theories.

Employer associations in Italy: Trends and economic outcomes

AbstractThis study analyses the representativeness of employer associations in Italy, using unique firm‐level data with information on employers' affiliation and their characteristics. We document that a persistent decline in affiliation rates to employers' associations has occurred during the last two decades. We show that affiliated companies are positively selected, as they tend to be larger, older, more likely to be located in richer regions, to be export and innovation oriented, and more likely to provide training. Using longitudinal data and regression decomposition techniques, we show that larger firms have been more affected by the decline in affiliation rates over time. Finally, we show that the level of representativeness of employers' associations has a weak positive effect on collective bargaining occupational wage minima settled by these organizations in national industry‐wide collective contracts after a negotiation process with trade unions.

Role and challenges to digital technologies in community health promotion programs in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic: a multiple embedded case study protocol.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemics, The Italian League Against Cancer (LILT), a national federation of local associations promoting cancer prevention, had to face the challenge to find new ways and technologies to promote health in their territories. This study aims to explore how LILT associations led their health promotion interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic and to understand which interventions had a greater impact, for which population group, and why. In this descriptive multiple embedded case study, each case will focus on the activities of a local LILT association and their collaborators on the perception and experience of the use of digital technology for health promotion and prevention, through interviews, observations, and a study of products and artifacts. A general overview of each case study will be provided, along with an introduction of the unit(s) of more in-depth analysis. The logical models that emerge from the analysis of each case will be described by using realist analysis, producing a list of possible CMO configurations (Context; Mechanisms; Outcomes). The final report will consist of a cross-case analysis (a comparison between the different case studies). This multiple case study will help generate a first "theory of the use of digital technology in health promotion in local LILT communities. The observation of what local LILT associations in Italy have done during COVID-19 will help identify new and useful health promotion strategies based on these technologies.

Collective memory and trans history in the Italian context: Archival practices and the creation of the first trans archive in Italy

In recent years, there has been a growing scholarly interest in the relationship between history, memory, archiving and trans experiences. This body of work has shown how questioning the praxis of archiving from the vantage point of trans experiences has the potential to problematise cis-heteronormative assumptions around the body, time and space and to queer the epistemological premises around what constitutes archives and archival practices. In this article, we present the experience of the project ArchiviST* – Archivi Storia Trans (Trans History Archives) which aims to create the first archive exclusively dedicated to the history of trans lives and activism in contemporary Italy. The project has been promoted by Trans Identity Movement, the most influential and long-lived trans association in Italy. Since its birth in 1979, Trans Identity Movement informally collected a substantial documentary heritage concerning trans and LGBTQIA+ history as a political practice to preserve the counter-memories of its people and movements. The ArchiviST* project carries out the inventorying and digitising of the materials, together with the collection of original video-recorded interviews with pioneering activists of the trans movement. By presenting a reflection on the process of ‘reconstructing’ an archive in this context, we unpack and explore some of the key issues surrounding trans archiving and collective memories in the Italian context: what counts as collective memory? What types of relationships are established between trans memories and the documents present in the archive? What memories have (not) been told, and what voices and subjects have (not) emerged as protagonists? We encourage a reflexive attitude towards the practice of trans archiving to problematise established historiographical categories, such as time, private/public, political engagement, life history and memory and to recognise the ethical and methodological challenges that such a path poses to historiography and archive research in general.

PP84 Change Management Of Patient Associations In Italy: From Emergency Response To Organizational Learning

IntroductionThe role of associations dedicated to patient advocacy has assumed strategic importance within the most advanced health systems, including the Italian NHS. In this period of strong national and international emergency, the associations of citizens and patients have also changed their actions and have implemented others to alleviate the discomforts of sick people in Italy, collaborating with institutions and health services.MethodsData were collected using a semi-structured survey, with both yes / no and open questions, developed and administered by the Patient Advocacy LAB (ALTEMS- Catholic University of Sacred Heart) to 150 patient advocacy associations. The organizational changes and the initiatives adopted by patient associations during the COVID-19 emergency was investigated.ResultsThe majority of the initiatives adopted by patient advocacy associations during the COVID-19 pandemic have been introduced during the first wave (March- June 2020), and that most of them have been maintained to (December 2020). These initiatives included improvements and updating of the communication tools aimed at reaching the higher number of patients. Thanks to these new approaches, the empathy and the assistance to patients have been increased. In addition, a number of training initiatives have been developed online and they have been followed by a large number of patients and caregivers. At an operative level, during the pandemic, many patient advocacy associations have provided their support to distribute masks, gloves, and therapies to patients. Unfortunately the fundraising activities suffered due to the lockdown, and the main problems were related to social distancing and lack of public campaigns. The institutional relationships have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and they mainly regarded the participation in legislative interventions. Among the initiatives adopted, our sampled associations affirmed that they would like to maintain the social support provided to patients experienced during the pandemic.Finally we calculated a resiliency score and we discovered that the majority of the sampled associations developed an intermediate level of resiliency and that it is positively correlated with their tenure.ConclusionsOur results provide a fresh view about the role of patient advocacy associations during the pandemic indicate their important role within the NHS.

“¡Unamos nuestras manos!” Tracce e frammenti della solidarietà italiana alle donne latinoamericane durante i regimi autoritari (1964-1990)

The essay is focused on a specific component of the Italian solidarity toward the victims of Latin American military coups: women’s association, as widely known, a plural world. Based on primary sources, it considers the time span included between the first episode of that kind – the Brazilian coup of 1964 – and Chile’s 1973 one, an experience that produced a widespread and constant interaction between civil society and political institutions in our country. Through fund raising, counter information and multiple forms of denounce, several female associations in Italy have made their voice heard in support of the victims – women themselves – of political repression in Latin America during the ‘long seventies’. It was a decade in which, along with women’s enhanced participation in the public sphere, transnational activism began to denounce authoritarian regimes’ human rights abuses.

Short-term exposure to ozone and economic burden of premature mortality in Italy: A nationwide observation study

Italy is among the countries with the highest ozone concentration in Europe. However, the mortality burden of ozone and related economic loss has not been fully characterized. This study aimed to estimate the ozone-mortality association in Italy and evaluate attributable mortality burden and related economic loss in 2015–2019. We collected daily all-cause mortality data stratified by age and sex from 2015 to 2019 in 107 provinces of Italy. A two-stage time-series framework was applied to estimate the association between daily maximum eight-hour average ozone and mortality as well as economic loss. An overall increase in the risk of mortality (RR=1.0043, 95% CI: 1.0029, 1.0057) was associated with every 10 µg/m3 increase in ozone. Generally, a total of 70,060 deaths and $65 billion economic loss were attributed to ozone exposure, corresponding to 3.11% of mortality and about 0.5% of the national GDP during the study period, respectively. The highest ozone-related mortality burden (30,910 deaths) and economic loss ($29.24 billion) were observed in the hot season. This nationwide study suggested considerable mortality burden and economic loss were associated with exposure to ozone. More actions and policies should be proposed to reduce ozone levels and help the public protect their health.

Assessing the experience of dyspareunia in the endometriosis population: the Subjective Impact of Dyspareunia Inventory (SIDI).

Is the Subjective Impact of Dyspareunia Inventory (SIDI) a reliable tool to examine the experience of dyspareunia in the context of endometriosis? In this study, the SIDI showed good structural and psychometric properties, and thus can be used as a reliable questionnaire to assess the impact of endometriosis-related dyspareunia on multiple dimensions, such as sexuality and intimate relationships. In the endometriosis population, dyspareunia has a tremendous negative impact on psychological health, overall sexual function and couple relationships. However, there is a paucity of tools that can be effectively used in either research or clinical practice to assess the subjective components of the dyspareunia experience, including coping strategies to deal with the pain. In this cross-sectional study, the validity of the SIDI was examined by considering the responses provided by 638 participants with endometriosis and dyspareunia, who participated in an online survey conducted between 8 November and 21 December 2021. Participants were recruited using snowball sampling that involved posting the invitation to participate in the study on the social media of a patient association. Participants were women aged ≥18 with clinical or surgical diagnosis of endometriosis. The SIDI measures the subjective impact of dyspareunia and is composed of 16 items focused on the frequency of dyspareunia-related experiences in the last 6 months, rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Sexuality was assessed using the Female Sexual Function Index. Psychological health was measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Sociodemographic and endometriosis-related information was collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Factor analysis revealed that the SIDI has a four-factor structure and allows for examining the impact of dyspareunia in terms of Sexual Concerns (Factor 1), Relationship Concerns (Factor 2), Partner Support (Factor 3) and Endurance of Pain (Factor 4). The SIDI showed good structural and psychometric properties (including internal consistency), was associated with sexual function and psychological health and was able to discriminate between participants with and without sexual dysfunction. Reasons for caution are related to the risk of self-selection bias depending on the study population and recruitment strategy. Moreover, all the information provided by the participants was self-reported, which may have affected the accuracy of the data collected, especially with regards to endometriosis-specific information. This study may provide a new brief tool that can be used by clinicians and researchers to assess the impact of dyspareunia from a multidimensional perspective and to consider subjective aspects that can be usefully integrated with information about pain severity, timing and localization. There was no funding for this study. A.F. is the President of APE-Odv (Associazione Progetto Endometriosi-Organizzazione di volontariato (Endometriosis Project Association-Volunteer Organization)), the largest nonprofit endometriosis patient association in Italy. The other authors have no conflicts of interest. N/A.

Novel and Surprising Host Associations of Diaporthe (Diaporthaceae, Diaporthales) Species from Italy

Diaporthe species are known to be mostly saprobic and pathogenic to numerous hosts in plantations, forests, and urban areas worldwide. Their relationship with host plants and distribution is poorly discussed. Combined morpho-molecular data have resulted in ten Diaprothe strains from ten host species in genera Acer, Alianthus, Artemisia, Aster, Ballota, Dittrichia, Euonymus, Eupatorium, Laburnum and Scabiosa. The isolates were identifi ed as Diaporthe arctii, D. eres, D. foeniculina, D. novem and D. rudis which are new records of host associations from Italy. Detailed descriptions and phylogenetic placements for the above fi ve species are provided. This study provides an updated list of Diaporthe species related to their host associations in Italy.

Family experience of young-onset dementia: the perspectives of spouses and children

Objectives Although young-onset dementia (YOD) affects the whole family system, this population is still under-represented in literature, and no progress in care provision has been made. Hence, additional evidence is necessary to understand how family and social relationships are affected by YOD and care challenges, as to provide recommendations for clinical practice and service improvement from a family perspective. Method Family carers were recruited via one memory clinic and the local Alzheimer’s Associations in Italy. Semi-structured interviews explored their experiences with YOD, the impact of the condition on their lives, family and social relationships, and the support and care they received. Transcripts were coded by three researchers and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results Thirty-eight interviews were conducted with 26 spouses and 12 adult children. Three themes emerged: 1) Problems around diagnosis, 2) Lack of post-diagnostic support, and 3) Living with YOD as a family. Overall, problems occurred across the dementia pathway. Without appropriate support, it was difficult for families to adjust to living with YOD and to the associated changes in family roles and relationships. Conclusions Since optimal care depends on good family relationships, better support for families in the adaptation to condition would likely benefit patient care while ensuring social inclusion and health equity for vulnerable groups.

Lecco’da Yirmi Beş Tokatlı Türk Alevi ve “Alevi Bektaşi İtalya”nın Kurulması

This paper aims to shed light on the rationale behind the creation of the first Italian Alevi association, the Alevite Bektasi Italia. It is based on field work, interviews and participant observations conducted in the northern Italian city of Lecco in 2018 and 2019. The association is mostly formed by Turkish Alevi coming from the rural areas of the Turkish West Black Sea Region of Tokat. The paper reports the outcome of the first research of this kind ever conducted in Italy and relies on data gathered from several informants, including former presidents of the Alevite Bektasi Italia Association, and, above all, upon the life-story of a key informant, one of the founders of the association. The article is structured in order to describe the following points: the trajectories of the first migration waves, in the late Eighties, from Turkey to Italy; the determinants that inspired the Turkish Alevi from Tokat to form an Alevi cultural association in Italy in 2006; the activities of the cultural centre; and, finally, the way the cultural centre and their members are responding to recent political changes in Italy and beyond.

Exposure assessment of air pollution in Italy 2016-2019 for future studies on air pollution and COVID-19

Air pollution is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with adverse effects related both to short-term and long-term exposure. It has also recently been linked to COVID-19 pandemic. To analyze this possible association in Italy, studies on the entire area of the peninsula are necessary, both urban and non-urban areas. Therefore, there is a need for a homogeneous and applicable exposure assessment tool throughout the country.Experiences of high spatio-temporal resolution models for Italian territory already exist for PM estimation, using space-time predictors, satellite data, air quality monitoring data.This work completes the availability of these estimations for the most recent years (2016-2019) and is also applied to nitrogen oxides and ozone. The spatial resolution is 1x1 km.The model confirms its capability of capturing most of PM variability (R2=0.78 and 0.74 for PM10 e PM2.5, respectively), and provides reliable estimates also for ozone (R2=0.76); for NO2 the model performance is lower (R2=0.57). The model estimations were used to calculate the PWE (population-weighted exposure) as the annual mean, weighted on the resident population in each individual cell, which represents the estimation of the Italian population's chronic exposure to air pollution.These estimates are ready to be used in studies on the association between chronic exposure to air pollution and COVID-19 pathology, as well as for investigations on the role of air pollution on the health of the Italian population.

Five evidences on labour productivity and inequality association in Italy

In the past two decades, Italy experienced a deceleration in labour productivity growth accompanied by persistently high income inequality. In this paper, we analyze five main empirical evidences for Italy indicating possible common determinants and linkages between productivity growth and income inequality in the period 1995-2018. To the best of our knowledge, the literature investigating this relationship for Italy is still very scarce. According to our preliminary exploration, the association between Italian productivity growth and income inequality between 1995 and 2018 has been mostly negative. This evidence suggests that the gloomy dynamics of productivity might have been an obstacle to income inequality reduction. There is also the possibility, however, that income inequality itself was among the causes of the gloomy productivity growth.

Tensiones entre multiculturalismo y derechos de las mujeres en la experiencia de las asociaciones interculturales de las mujeres en Italia

Una parte de la teoría liberal feminista ha identificado que el multiculturalismo está en oposición a los derechos de las mujeres (Okin, 1999) y esas teorías pueden volverse aún más atractivas en los tiempos actuales de anti/post-multiculturalismo. Otros autores han abogado por la necesidad de distinguir entre multiculturalismo liberal y crítico o reflexivo (May y Sleeter, 2010). Este artículo analiza la tensión entre el multiculturalismo y los derechos de las mujeres dentro de las asociaciones interculturales de mujeres en Italia. Investiga cómo estas organizaciones han abordado cuestiones que se toman como ejemplos de diferencias culturales, como las mutilaciones genitales femeninas y los matrimonios forzados. Su objetivo es responder a la pregunta: ¿en qué medida las asociaciones elegidas han podido evitar tanto la "Escila del fundamentalismo feminista como el Caribdis del relativismo cultural?" (Anthias, 2002), reuniendo así objetivos feministas y antirracistas. El artículo se basa en un estudio empírico realizado a través de entrevistas en profundidad y análisis documental.