DISPI prioritizes the economic and demographic area in its strategic planning. Within this area, there are three main research sectors: one focused on sustainable development in both its environmental and social dimensions, one on local development, tourism, and demographic dynamics, and one on macroeconomic policies and their link to political dynamics.
The themes of sustainable development focus on policies supporting the bio-economy, the fight against and adaptation to climate change, the protection of natural and social capital, and the protection of biodiversity. In different ways, all these themes contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and are studied using both microeconomic and macroeconomic approaches, as well as theoretical and empirical methods.
The scale of analysis of sustainability ranges from the regional economy of proximity and zero-impact tourism to national and international applications of Emissions Trading Systems, the European Green Deal and its distributive consequences and impact on the competitiveness of national businesses, European and global initiatives for accounting for ecosystem services, and the development, growth, environmental protection, and climate change mitigation policies of third-country economies.
Particular attention is paid in this research area to the balance between climate change mitigation and adaptation policies to ongoing changes, examining the economic and environmental dynamics resulting from incorrect adaptation policies (maladaptation). Studies on social capital and violence against women, which aim to complement sustainability objectives with a particular focus on social aspects, are also a significant topic in the economic sector. Finally, the Third Sector and welfare policies play a central role in sustainability.
The second area, that of local development and its link with the tourism economy and demographic dynamics, unfolds along three research lines, with significant repercussions on university education processes. Research on these themes will be carried out within various projects that see DISPI cooperating with the Tuscany Region, the Municipality of Siena, the Municipality of Sassari, and the Municipality of Abbadia San Salvatore, to explore the theme of tourism and its impact on local development based on the valorization of the territory, its culture, and identity. A new laboratory (LESL, Laboratory of Economics of Local Development) has been established on these topics. A project has also been launched to create a three-year undergraduate degree program on tourism and local development. The demographic dimension is central to the analysis of tourism and local development, and the research group aims to analyze the issues of depopulation, not only in marginal areas but also in historical centers. Particular attention will be paid to the analysis of "return" or genealogical tourism, using municipal registers on the descendants of emigrants abroad. The analysis aims to enrich the information through ad hoc questionnaires.
No less relevant and rich in prospects is the commitment to the non-profit economy, with a focus on the advancement of the reform and the adaptation of non-profit organizations to the evolutionary stages of the Third Sector Code. The launch of a Master's program on new professional profiles for the Third Sector and the search for partnerships to participate in European projects on the topic are planned.
The third area, that of macroeconomic policies, is structured around three main projects. The first concerns the link between political regime, economic reforms, and growth. The second focuses on theoretical and empirical models related to the theme of productive transformation, with particular attention to the dynamics associated with the reconversion of productive areas centered on declining sectors. In this regard, innovative approaches will be developed that focus on the dynamics of the creation and destruction of productive activities, and in particular of employment flows, identifying not only the development prospects of particular sectors but also the dynamics of different job tasks. This project should lead to a mapping that can provide a scientific basis for the intervention of development policies and inform strategies for training activities in the labor market. The third deals with the radical transformation of monetary policies that occurred after the global financial crisis of 2008 and after the crisis associated with Covid-19.
The researchers in the economic and demographic area will continue their commitment to disseminating their analyses, using the main communication channels of economic research (qualified press, Voxeu.org).
The research projects of the next three years will be carried out with significant collaborations with prestigious universities and research centers: Columbia University, University of Michigan, European University Institute, Paris School of Economics, University of East Anglia, University College London), as well as with Italian and foreign public and private bodies (European Commission, European agency JRC, Ministry of Cultural Heritage, ISPRA, Tuscany Region). It is also worth noting, among the members of DISPI, the affiliation with CEPR (https://cepr.org/), the most prestigious center for economic research in Europe, the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C. (https://www.brookings.edu/), and the international network Sustainable Future Policy Lab (https://sfplab.org/).