Salvatore Monni

Sustainable Human Development for European Countries

In recent years, sustainable development has represented one of the most important policy goals at the global level. How to design specific policy actions and how to measure performance and results continue to present a challenge. The aim of this paper is to identify a numerical measure of ‘sustainable human development’ by enlarging human development with more specific environmental aspects. The sustainability condition has been directly analysed on the well‐being side. Building a complex Sustainable Human Development Index may be a hard task because of data availability. European countries represent a useful pilot area for testing the methodology. The key factors of effective sustainable human development are emphasized, comparing a Sustainable Human Development Index with existing traditional indicators such as the Gross Domestic Product and the Human Development Index.

Sustainability and Human Development

In recent few years, the concept of sustainable development has been deeply investigated, both from a pure economic growth perspective and by adopting more heterodox paradigms, which address for human development and institutional quality. The most fashionable empirical models addressing for the role of environment into a development path are the Resource Curse Hypothesis (RCH) and the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC). The aim of this paper is to build an empirical model which collects inputs both from RCH and EKC studies with an emphasis on the role of human development dimensions and institutions as drivers for a sustainable development path. The results confirm the fundamental role of the quality both of institutions and human capital stock in enhancing economic growth and development while preserving environmental sustainability.

Cluster e distretti tecnologici: modelli e politiche

Cluster and technological districts: models and policies - The aim of the paper is to examine the technological districts or clusters phenomenon as an evolution of the traditional industrial district. We analyses the case of the Cambridge technology district finding that it has much in common with the Italian manufacturing districts. We also examine a case of a proto district, i.e. an area that might or might not develop in district, the proto district of Turin, trying to assess the differences with Cambridge. The comparison highlights the relevance of the same factors that have also led to the emergence of Italian industrial districts: cultural approach, knowledge transfer, social capital and institutions (formal and informal). Parole chiave: Distretti industriali, Distretti tecnologici, Cambridge, Torino. Keywords: Industrial district, technological district, Cambridge, Torino.