Roberta Sisto

What is the impact of LEADER on the local social resources? Some insights on Local Action Group's aggregative role

The Local Action Groups (LAGs) are supposed to contribute to the local development process through the enhancement of the territorial social capital. Stressing their aggregative role, the objective of this work is twofold: to find empirical evidence that LAGs’ operation can foster the social capital of the local partnerships, and to contribute to the methodological advancement in detecting social capital. The relational computational system here presented detects the contribution of LAGs on logical basis by comparing the relations actually existing and the relations created independently of the LAGs’ operation. The analysis reveals that the LAGs modified the morphology of their networks fostering the connectivity of their members and exalting the role of some actors as bridges among different polarities.

Qualità, coordinamento e reputazione collettiva nel sistema di produzione del vino doc San Severo

The relevance of quality and typical food as strength for Rural Local Systems (rls) is widely recognized in literature (Antonioli Corigliano, 1999; Brunori, 1999; Pacciani et al., 2001; Cecchi, 2002). Generally speaking, the chance of a rls to build a competitive advantage often depends on the specificities of food-products that the system as a whole is able to supply. The commercialization of such products represents a crucial step in the valorization process. Several studies (Klein and Leffler, 1981; Shapiro, 1983) find in the reputation of products the element which makes possible suitable levels of returns on resources used in the production process. For typical food, the reputation has public goods characteristics, indeed, it can generate a territorial quality surplus and so it is known as collective reputation. Such surplus is based on two elements: 1) the specific quality of products and 2) the level of coordination of the production system. In order to face the risk of opportunistic use of collective reputation, States have generated a series of laws for formal protection of denominations. Among these normative tools, an important role is played by the Origin Denomination (od). The main function of such tool is to give juridical protection to the name that a product has got in the market by its typicalness and its link with the territory. Therefore the od can be considered as an institutional process whose goal is the reproduction and the conservation of collective reputation of a typical product. In the light of these considerations, the aim of this paper is twofold: verify the contribution of a specific od, the San Severo wine, in generating the reputation surplus for its production system and investigate on its determinants. In particular, the study of the product’s quality and coordination level lead to define the production system as a whole in terms of collective reputation. Then we compare such characteristic with the currently level of reputation enjoyed by the San Severo wine denomination. The data have been collected through a direct survey by the means of questionnaires submitted to local actors and interviews to important witnesses in order to have better grip on the historical and characterizing aspects of the system. In the section 1 we show the theoretical approaches to individual and collective reputation and their relation with od. Then (section 2) we illustrate the study case and the research outcomes. Finally, we dedicate the last section to some conclusive observation and suggest for further research.

LEADER and Social Capital in Apulia: The Case Studies of Gargano and Meridaunia Local Action Groups

This chapter is devoted to the application of the method for the analysis of structural and normative and cognitive social capital and rural governance in two specific communities, namely the Gargano and Meridaunia Local Action Groups (LAGs) in Apulia. The method used to measure social capital, and also the results achieved can benefit both LAGs, as well as provide decision-making bodies with a tool to identify best practices. The results highlight the idiosyncratic nature of social capital at the community level, which is very closely related to the specific characteristics of the local organisational system. Specific gaps in planning and implementation of local development strategies are identified as a starting point for improving future actions.

Participatory Planning in Organic Solid Waste Management: A Backcasting Approach

The valorisation of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) represents a relevant matter for local governments that may result in significant economic and environmental benefits. In particular, defining the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly OFMSW management strategy should be based upon the active involvement of local stakeholders in order to allow policymakers to take into account all possible environmental, social, technological, and financial OFMSW-related problems. In this framework the present chapter aims at outlining a long-term management plan for OFMSW in the case of the south-eastern Italian municipality of Foggia. To this end we have employed an adapted participatory backcasting experiment based upon a double-step procedure. By means of a focus group with experts on OFMSW management issues at the municipal level, we firstly identified the desired end point and the relative expected obstacles and opportunities. These were then discussed during a workshop organised with a group of local stakeholders, who identified and proposed all possible actions to be carried out in the short, medium, and long term to reach the identified end point. Such a participatory approach should contribute to reducing the bounded rationality and the subjectivity affecting decision-making processes as well as to broaden the knowledge base and to achieve a greater transparency in the definition of OFMSW management strategies.