Elina De Simone

Rhetoric on the economy: have European parties changed their economic messages?

ABSTRACT This study analyses the determinants of dispersion of economic issue mentions in European party manifestos. We examined three main economic domains (governmental control of the economy, free market capitalism and support for the welfare state) as consequences of globalization forces, economic conditions, partisanship and electoral turnout. Employing aggregate-level Comparative Manifesto Project (CMP) data from legislative elections in 15 European countries from 1970 to 2010, we confirm that parties hold a common view of the salience of economic control of the state as a consequence of globalization pressure and economic growth levels. Partisanship of the cabinets (regardless of the political orientation) counteracted issue salience concentration in the welfare domain. Government size favoured dispersion in the free market realm. Our results do not indicate clear homogenization of parties’ economic messages in elections over the last 40 years.

«World Cultural Heritage» between the contradictions in economic theory and tragedies in the news

The intentional and barbaric destruction of Syrian cultural heritage urges us to reflect on how some of the concepts coined and spread by UNESCO are actually perceived worldwide. The article focuses on the economic meaning of «world cultural heritage», in order to highlight some of its most important contradictions. To do this, we must shortly define the birth and evolution of the «cultural heritage» notion, as well as stress the presence of discord in the not-always-possible harmony between the local and global sides of the aforementioned heritage, even in non-economic literature. Economic literature tends to dwell on the explanation of public intervention in the preservation of cultural heritage. Two different traits mark this preservation as local or global: community good and world public good. This work points out how considering public heritage as a global common good is controversial from a theoretical point of view, while identifying ideological and political discord might lead to more effective strategies in the worldwide preservation of cultural heritage.

The Gift and the State of the Art

In this paper, we try to understand the meaning of gift, with particular attention devoted to the charitable giving. By means of a descriptive analysis based on data provided by the Italian Ministry of Finance in the period 2001-2012, we analyze the frequency and the amount of donors and donations to arts and culture organizations in Italy both ad as personal income tax allowances (19% tax deduction) and choice in tax destination (5). Descriptive analysis shows how inconsistent is patronage for cultural institutions in ltaly. Moreover, we present some positive correlations between donations and some creativity indexes. Discussion and conclusion emphasize that art patronage, differently from other sectors like health, poverty alleviation aims at promoting heritage preservation or the delivery of a cultural service (offer-related), and it is not directly addressed to promote the demand of cultural good or service.