Search results for "consumption"
showing 10 items of 1796 documents
Fiscal policy discretion, private spending and crises episodes
2011
In this paper, we assess the impact of fiscal policy discretion on economic activity in the short and medium-term. Using a panel of 132 countries from 1960 to 2008, we find that fiscal policy discretion provides a net stimulus to the economy in the short-run and crowding-in effects are amplified once crisis episodes are controlled for– in particular, banking crises - giving a great scope for fiscal policy stimulus packages. However, crowding-out effects take over in the long-run – especially, in the case of debt crises -, in line with the concerns about long-term debt sustainability.
Regional Disparities in Consumption Behaviour: Italian Households in Time of Crisis
2016
The relevant fact of the severe downturn due to the Great Recession is that declining consumer spending. The extent of the cutbacks in consumption expenditures differs among regions and also the distribution pattern across households differs. This paper examines how the 2008-9 crisis affected regional disparities in household consumption behaviour by analysing the distribution of the real total expenditure. Specifically, a mixture of regression models is used to explore the heterogeneity in total expenditure across regions and households by identifying groups of families with similar consumption behaviour as a function of certain socio-demographic and economic factors. The empirical analysi…
Firm demography and regional development: evidence from Italy
2017
This article contributes to the literature on firm demography and regional development in at least three different ways. First, consumption, rather than employment, which is the most common variable seen in literature, is used to measure the impact of firm demography on regional development. Second, while the literature is mainly focused on the relationship between new business formation and regional development, we investigate both entry and exit flows of firms. Third, we decompose each of these flows into spatial and sectoral components. The empirical investigation looks at the Italian regions with reference to the period 2004–2009. Results seem to be substantially divergent between the S…
STRANIERI, MERIDIONALI O PROVINCIALI? I CONSUMI NEL TEMPO LIBERO DELLE SECONDE GENERAZIONI
2022
In this paper, we analyze consumption patterns of leisure time among young people belonging to the so-called “second generation” of immigrants in Italy. Leisure time consumption describes how young immigrants use cultural products and services. We analyze data collected by the ISTAT through the survey on the “second generations” (2015). A comparison of leisure consumption patterns between second-generation immigrants and their Italian peers does not show significant differences. Rather, differences in consumption styles are associated to gender (male/female), geographic area of residence (North/South), and size of the municipality (large municipality/small municipality) of residence.
Critical consumption as civic engagement
2019
From the mid-nineties onwards, critical consumption, in its many forms but always intended as a set of actions implemented by those who pay attention, and already in the purchase decision, to the quality of the properties that make a product reliable by following the supply chain according to a logic of social, economic and environmental sustainability, has been one of the most innovative research areas in consumer sociology. Even if articulated in significant rivulets and research paths, sociological studies on critical consumption have highlighted above all their specificity as a set of activities [Leonini, Sassatelli, 2008; Forno, Graziano, 2016] that connotes a double value both civic a…
I principi della sostenibilità: dai valori dichiarati al comportamento di consumo alimentare. Analisi del ruolo dei media nella costruzione e diffusi…
2012
La sostenibilità è un tema ampio che non riguarda solo le politiche istituzionali e le scelte aziendali, ma anche persone qualunque e comportamenti di acquisto e di consumo. Per esempio, il cibo è un tema fortemente connesso alla sostenibilità. Avendo a che fare con la salute e la sensibilità ambientale, la sostenibilità influenza spesso scelte dietetiche, anche se non è ancora chiaro quanto sia forte il condizionamento della sostenibilità sulle persone, se queste siano effettivamente condizionate dal problema, e se il condizionamento provenga da processi diretti e coscienti o da scelte economiche o inconsce. Allo stesso tempo, ciò che emerge è una contraddizione generale tra conoscenze, co…
Study on Consumer Attitudes for Sheep Meat Consumption
2018
Abstract This paper presents data on sheep breeding in Romania and on a international level. The main objectives of the national breeding program will be presented. A study has been conducted to find out how consumers perceive buying sheep meat and their attitudes towards it. Strong effort is needed to promote the consumption of sheep meat, which will lead to the support of the sheep sector. It is necessary to form a strong consumer preference for sheep meat by communicating the positive (natural product) and durable characteristics of the product.
Validation of the use of Actigraph GT3X accelerometers to estimate energy expenditure in full time manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury.
2013
Study design: Cross-sectional validation study. Objectives: The goals of this study were to validate the use of accelerometers by means of multiple linear models (MLMs) to estimate the O2 consumption (VO2) in paraplegic persons and to determine the best placement for accelerometers on the human body. Setting: Non-hospitalized paraplegics’ community. Methods: Twenty participants (age=40.03 years, weight=75.8 kg and height=1.76 m) completed sedentary, propulsion and housework activities for 10 min each. A portable gas analyzer was used to record VO2. Additionally, four accelerometers (placed on the non-dominant chest, non-dominant waist and both wrists) were used to collect second-by-second a…
Pump Efficiency Analysis of Waste Water Treatment Plants: A Data Mining Approach Using Signal Decomposition for Decision Making
2017
In Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs), the pump systems are one of the most energy intensive processes. An efficient energy management of pumps should produce environmental and economic benefits. In this paper, we propose a daily data-driven approach for a detailed pump efficiency analysis that reduces the time gap between an inefficiency and its detection, provides detailed information for decision making by using new Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and detects inefficient pump set-ups and designs. The proposed approach based on signal decomposition relies on sensors generally available in WWTPs, e.g. daily pump inflow and energy consumption. Moreover, it allows decomposing the data s…
A plant-wide wastewater treatment plant model for carbon and energy footprint: Model application and scenario analysis
2019
Abstract A new model for accounting carbon and energy footprint of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is proposed. The model quantifies direct and indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to biological and physical processes of a WWTP. The model takes into account several innovative aspects with respect to already available literature models: i. kinetic/mass-balances; ii. nitrification as a two-step process; iii. nitrous oxide (N2O) formation during nitrification and denitrification both in dissolved and off-gas forms. A full-scale application has been performed by adopting the case study of a real WWTP. A scenario analysis was performed to quantify the influence of: composition of …