Teresa Panico

Personal values and pro-social behaviour

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of socio-economic context in affecting the relationship between personal values and the purchase of fair trade (FT) products. Design/methodology/approach The study was based on data and information collected by means of a web-administered survey and was performed in two steps. First, an explanatory factor analysis on the Schwartz value system and a confirmatory factor analysis on socio-economic context variables were carried out. Second, the per capita GDP at provincial level and the predicted factor scores were used in an ordered probit model to explain the expenditure level of FT products. Findings The results provide evidence that the value system has an effect on the consumption of FT products, but the economic context, in particular the average wealth at province level, is also relevant and plays a role by either affecting FT product purchasing levels directly or interacting with personal values. Research limitations/implications Because of the electronic submission and the specific channel used in the survey, the sample cannot be considered as representative of Italian consumers, and thus the analysis has a merely descriptive (non-inferential) function. Originality/value While several studies investigated how personal values affect consumers’ behaviour directly or indirectly, very few studies analysed the way socio-economic context interacts with the value structure and the way both aspects influence ethical consumption. The present study analyses this last aspect and provides evidence of the role economic context plays in affecting the relationship between personal values and FT products consumption.

Evaluating italian attitude and behaviour toward Fair Trade products

In the context of food consumption, several issues have been widely discussed in reference to a large array of attributes and product types used as evidence of growing consumer feeling toward ethical issues linked to moral and social consciousness. Animal welfare, fair prices for farmers, social aspects of production, and preservation of cultural features, are some of the product attributes for which consumer behaviour has been analyzed in the context of ethical consumerism. This paper aims at providing insights into consumer motivational systems and their relations with fair trade product purchasing behaviour. In order to pursue this goal, the effectiveness of two alternative approaches, proposed in the literature and tested in Belgium and Germany, were formally assessed in Italy. The two sets of scales were tested for predicting purchasing behaviour by using a sample of Italian consumers.

Intention to Purchase Sustainable Wood Products: An Empirical Analysis of the Determinants

Although Forest Principles promoting responsible forest management were formally adopted in 1992, the sustainability of forests is still undermined by harmful practices. In this regard, voluntary forest certification may represent an effective way to lessen the negative impacts of timber and forestry products upon the environment and upon the living conditions of local populations. This work aims to investigate the role of socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of the forestry certification schemes and attitudinal factors on the purchasing intention of certified wood-derived products in Italy. A convenience sample of 371 consumers were interviewed through an online–administered questionnaire, and data collected were analysed by means of an ordered probit model. The results show that income and age, together with knowledge of the main certification labels and the attitudes towards certifications, have a positive and statistically significant effect on intentions to purchase certified wood products Keywords:

Un'analisi della coerenza tra strategie e fabbisogni nelle politiche di sviluppo rurale in Italia attraverso la metodologia del Menù approach

In the years to come Rural Development Policies will be an increasingly important part of EU Cohesion Policies. In particular, Convergence Regions with a high percentage of rural areas and a major development gap will be the most affected by this scenario. The objectives of this paper are twofold. The first is to analyze Italian Rural Development Programs in order to investigate how the Italian regional authorities have interpreted the potential role of the new RD programs and identified the specific strategies to be pursued. The second objective is to evaluate the coherence between strategies and tools indicated in the different programs. The financial plans will be compared in order to detect the possible different strategic approaches existing among regions characterized by different situations and development levels of the agricultural sector and the rural economy. For developing the analysis we will adopt the menu approach (Terluin, Venema, 2004).