Growth and Convergence in a Multiregional Model with Space–Time Dynamics. 多区域时空动态模型的增长与收敛

The goal of this article is to test four distinct hypotheses about whether the relative location of an economy affects economic growth and economic well‐being using an extended Solow–Swan neoclassical growth model that incorporates both space and time dynamics. We show that the econometric specification takes the form of an unconstrained spatial Durbin model, and we investigate whether the results depend on some methodological issues, such as the choice of the time span and the inclusion of fixed effects. To estimate the fixed effects spatial Solow–Swan model, we adjust the Arrelano and Bond (1991) generalized method‐of‐moments (GMM) estimator to deal with endogeneity not only arising from the initial income level, as in the basic model, but also from the initial income levels and economic growth rates observed in neighboring economies.     

Law and the peasant: rural society and justice in Carolingian Italy

Comparative analysis of the most important Carolingian‐period Italian placiti dealing with the defence of freedom allows us to reconstruct the approach taken by various large monasteries as they attempted to transform their landholding into coercive power over people, by converting dependent freemen into slaves. Similarly, it reveals the strenuous defence mounted by the freemen who were thus threatened, who were clearly perfectly aware that a downgrading of their legal status would be far more serious for them than an economic downgrading. It also permits an analysis of placiti as sites for the representation of public power, in which the ideological model of the king as ‘protector of the weak’ was often scuppered by the ability of many potentes to use for their own advantage either the presence of royal officials, or those very legal processes which were supposed to guarantee protection of the pauperes.     

Heterogeneity of Attribute Sampling Error in Spatial Data Sets

This paper considers the standard error of the estimate of the mean of a spatially correlated variable in the case where data are obtained by a process of random sampling. Two distinct mean estimation problems are identified: estimating the area mean and estimating the population mean. Methods are described for obtaining standard error estimates in the two cases and, within the limits of publicly available information, the methods are implemented on average household income data at the census tract scale for Syracuse, New York. The purpose of the paper is to draw attention to issues of data precision in relation to sampled geographic information on averages and in particular to consider the problems of estimating standard errors using such data. The paper also examines the extent to which standard errors vary between census tracts.     

Seismic refraction tomography surveys as a method for voids detection: an application to the archaeological park of Cava Ispica,Sicily, Italy

Geophysical surveys are commonly used in areas where the presence of ancient civilizations is historically documented. These investigations are able to detect through indirect methods the presence of bodies or structures in the subsoil measuring the variations of some physical parameters, obtaining information about archaeological remains without causing harm to them.

In the present study, we investigated the presence of anthropogenic buried cavities partially filled with rubble material, in an area located in the northern part of Cava Ispica, one of the most important archaeological sites located in south-eastern Sicily. The results of seismic refraction prospections, processed with tomographic methods, are presented and discussed. The entire valley contains prehistoric burial sites, Christian catacombs and residential units of various kinds. Despite the numerous searches made over past years, much still remains to be discovered.

The seismic refraction tomographic data, analyzed in 3D, revealed the presence of low velocity values (<400 m/s) areas that, considering the lithotypes locally present and the features of other archaeological structures discovered during previous surveys, can be ascribed to the presence of possible cavities. The obtained results show how such geophysical inspections represent an important preliminary tool for archaeological surveys.     

Rosario Romeo ( 1924–1987)

Abstract

Rosario Romeo (1924–87) made an original and outstanding contribution to the study of modern Italian history. He wrote extensively on the development of Italian capitalism and industrialization, developing his own concept of the ‘primitive accumulation of capital’ and drawing on theories of underdevelopment that became current after the Second World War to underline the particularities, the speed and breadth but also the limitations of Italy's economic growth. In his masterly biography of Cavour, as well as in numerous other essays, he confronted the questions of the birth of the Italian nation state, its origins, its political and moral tradition and its social life in the context of a deeply informed and penetrating vision of contemporary European history. The Risorgimento and Fascism, the nation and the nation state, liberal‐democratic values and class struggle, modernization and secularization are the essential themes in his historical writings that were marked by deep erudition and methodological rigour, and inspired by great conceptual and moral breadth. Through his work Italy became a paradigm of the fundamental dimensions of the modern world thanks to that passion for liberty which for Romeo (he was also a member of the European Parliament) was rekindled by the events of the twentieth century, among whose major historians he ranks.     

A little known atlas by Vesconte Maggiolo, 1518

ABSTRACT

The rediscovery of the Selden Map of China (MS Selden Supra 105) in the Bodleian Library in 2008 provides an opportunity to reassess the history of Chinese cartography and debates about maritime dimensions of the Ming Empire. The map depicts a network of Chinese shipping routes, reaching from Japan to Aceh, Sumatra, and suggests previously unknown map-making techniques. In this article I draw attention to the map's unique components, notably its portrayal of shipping routes and vegetation, consider its sources, and suggest a possible patron and location of composition.     

Role of Monitoring in Historical Building Restoration: The Case of Leaning Tower of Pisa

A short summary is presented of the studies and the actions of Committees appointed in past 50 years for the Tower of Pisa. The discussion first addresses the attempts carried out during the whole history of the Tower to measure its movements and the efforts made to understand the origin and causes of its inclination. A history of foundation rotation has been also deduced by means of a precise architectural survey, which has led to a diagnosis for the inclination and its increase in time. As a consequence, several hypotheses for its stabilization have been proposed. All the measures for leaning tower stabilization need the application of observational method for their implementation. The observational method is strictly based on a comprehensive monitoring system, both described in the second part of the paper. The aims are to stress the importance of a well-conceived monitoring system and to propose the extension of concept of monitoring to construction history details. The data and actions described are from the work carried out by committees appointed by Italian Government during the second half of 20th century, in particular by the committee chaired by Professor Jamiolkowski, appointed in 1991. The authors have collaborated with this committee since 1993, and they are still in charge of the monitoring and maintenance of the Tower of Pisa.     

A new phoenix? Large plants regeneration policies in Italy

The fall of employment in manufacturing that the world's most advanced economies have been experiencing in the past 40 years has triggered a number of policies, undertaken in several countries. In this paper, we evaluate the effectiveness of a place-based policy, carried out in Italy, aimed at both generating private investments and increasing employment in areas affected by deep industrial decline. By means of an instrumental variable identification strategy, we show that the program has been largely unsuccessful.