Simona Gozzo

Building Tourism Networks through Tourist Mobility

This article aims to define tourism networks analyzing tourist mobility between destinations. The study adopts network analysis methods, testing a data processing strategy that combines descriptive measurements and clustering tools. A segmentation approach has been employed to investigate differences or similarities between the trip-related attributes of tourists within networks. Data are from a sampling survey carried out on tourists’ visit in Sicily. The results show that the tourist choice defined the role of a destination as “central” or “peripheral” within a network. Tourists build their own networks around nodal destinations, even if they are geographically distant. Thus, tourist mobility affects the shape, the dimension, and the structure of the networks, where tourists are different for characteristics, trip-related behaviors, and type of holiday chosen. The study provides some evidence that can be useful for planning tourism facilities, managing tourism routes, and defining destination management strategies.

Network Analysis Methods for Classification of Roles

This paper concerns network analysis (NA) methods employed to classify role profiles based on the measurement and the specification of linking structures among pupils in infant school. With this aim, we measure sociometric status by the direct observation of preschool children behaviours. The data have been collected by a longitudinal observational study. We follow the children in seven waves for 2 months. In this study, we measure relational skills of subjects applying three procedures: The regular equivalence is used to detect similar positions within the network, the lambda sets to observe the ability to be intermediary and the cliques to assess the propensity to belong to a group. Concerning each analytic dimension, the results show an increase of relational competence and an association with ego-network measures.

Big Data and Network Analysis: A Promising Integration for Decision-Making

In recent years, we have witnessed an extraordinary growth in globally generated data. The automatic extraction of such extraordinary amount of data, together with innovative data mining and predictive analytics techniques, represents an innovative opportunity in supporting decision-making. Thus, the main aim of this paper is to explore the opportunity of integrating Big Data techniques with Network Analysis methods. In particular, our study employs descriptive measurements and clustering methods of Network Analysis in order to define relational structures within a Big Data set. We discuss a Big Data tool that collects and analyses information from user interactions with published news and comments about a case study related to a recent Italian constitutional review bill with important political implications.

Immigrati e cittadinanza. Una questione di accoglienza

This study analyzes the relationship between theoretical models of European integration and inclusion or exclusion of immigrants. The main hypothesis is that relations are key in understanding and explaining differences between material and formal integration, including propensity towards social involvement and focusing on the acquisition of citizenship. Data collected in an Italian local context are applied for an in-depth analysis.

Le donne alle primarie: partecipazione politica e reti di attivazione

This contribution aims at analyzing voters’ characteristics and their preference motivations at the first Italian national primary elections in 2005 and the Sicilian regional primary elections in 2006. This analysis mainly focuses on gender differences and is based on a sample of face-to-face interviews. In 2005 the primary elections were called in order to select the centre-left coalition candidate for the following parliamentary elections, while the 2006 ones in order to choose the president of the Sicily region. Several differences between these two primary votes are to be detected, first of all the fact that the regional primaries were much more competitive. Both elections are analyzed by focusing on the voters’ propensity for political and civic involvement with a specific gender-oriented perspective. Political engagement’s mechanisms are reconstructed, allowing to single out different participatory profiles. Furthermore, voting motivation and priorities, cognitive dimensions as well as political communication tools employed by the candidates are considered in order to provide a more accurate explanation of voters’ behavior and attitudes.