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A recursive scheme for the ALIENOR method is proposed as a remedy for the difficulties induced by the method. A progressive focusing on the most promising region, in combination with a variation of the density of the alpha-dense curve, is proposed.

ALIENOR method is aimed at reducing the space dimensions of an optimization problem by spanning it by using a single alpha-dense curve: the curvilinear abscissa along the curve becomes the only design parameter for any design space. As a counterpart, the transformation of the objective function in the projected space is much more difficult to tackle.

A fine tuning of the procedure has been performed in order to identity the correct balance between the different elements of the procedure. The proposed approach has been tested by using a set of algebraic functions with up to 1,024 design variables, demonstrating the ability of the method in solving large scale optimization problem. Also an industrial application is presented.

In the knowledge of the author there is not a similar paper in the current literature.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a modification of the original PSO algorithm in order to avoid the evaluation of the objective function outside the feasible set, improving the parallel performances of the algorithm in the view of its application on parallel architectures.

Classical PSO iteration is repeated for each particle until a feasible point is found: the global search is performed by a set of independent sub-iteration, at the particle level, and the evaluation of the objective function is performed only once the full swarm is feasible. After that, the main attractors are updated and a new sub-iteration is initiated.

While the main qualities of PSO are preserved, a great advantage in terms of identification of the feasible region and detection of the best feasible solution is obtained. Furthermore, the parallel structure of the algorithm is preserved, and the load balance improved. The results of the application to real-life optimization problems, where constraint satisfaction sometime represents a problem itself, gives the measure of this advantage: an improvement of about 10 percent of the optimal solution is obtained by using the modified version of the algorithm, with a more precise identification of the optimal design variables.

Differently from the standard approach, utilizing a penalty function in order to discharge unfeasible points, here only feasible points are produced, improving the exploration of the feasible region and preserving the parallel structure of the algorithm.

The purpose of this paper is the introduction of a globally convergent algorithm into a framework for global derivative‐free optimization, such as particle swarm optimization (PSO) for which a full proof of convergence is currently missing.

The substitution of the classical PSO iteration by the Newton method is suggested when the global minimum is not improved. Use of surrogate models for the computation of the Hessian of the objective function is a key point for the overall computational effort. Adoption of a trust‐region approach guarantees the consistency of the present approach with the original formulation.

The approach proposed is mostly found to be an improvement of the classical PSO method. The use of surrogate models and the trust‐region approach maintains the overall computational effort at the same level as the original algorithm.

Although the number of algebraic test functions is pretty large, a single practical example is provided. Further numerical experiments are needed in order to increase the generality of the conclusions.

The proposed method improves the efficiency of the standard PSO algorithm.

Previous literature does not provide comprehensive systematic studies for coupling PSO with local search algorithms. This paper is a contribution for closing the gap.

In this paper we provide estimates of the short-run elasticity of substitution between male and female workers, using data from Italian provinces for the period 1993–2006. Our identification strategy relies on a natural experiment. In 2000, the Italian Parliament passed a law to abolish compulsory military service. The reform was implemented through a gradual reduction in the number of draftees; compulsory drafting was eventually terminated in 2004. We use data on the (planned) maximum number of draftees at the national level (as stated in the annual budgetary law), interacted with sex-ratios at births at the provincial level, as instruments for (relative) female labor supply. Our results suggest that young males and females (who are those mainly affected by the reform) are imperfect substitutes, with an implied elasticity of substitution ranging between 1.0 and 1.4. Our results have important implications for the evaluation of policies aimed at increasing female labor market participation.

The purpose of this paper is to employ provincial data to study the relationship between several crime typologies, namely murder, robbery, extortion and fraud and economic output in Italy.

The authors propose a spatial econometric approach where the spatial proximity is defined by a measure of physical distance between locations, in order to take into account possible spill-over effects.

The results of the spatial estimation suggest that criminal activities, namely murder and robbery, exhibit a negative impact on Italian gross domestic product while fraud and total crime do not affect economic output and that there are beneficial spill-overs from neighbouring provinces.

The study empirically shows that only violent crimes have a crowding-out effect on economic output.

This chapter opens the second part of the Volume, focusing on the small farms' role and dynamics within the evolving food system. Assessing small farmers' actual and potential contribution to the change towards a sustainable food and nutrition security requires a deep understanding of their strategic decision-making processes. These processes take place in a context highly conditioned by internal and external conditions, including the complex relations between farm and household, which are mapped and described. Building on an adaptation of Porter's model (Porter, 1990), the chapter investigates how farmers, given those conditions, define their strategies (in particular their innovation strategies) aimed at economic and financial sustainability through a multidisciplinary analysis of scientific literature. Internal conditions are identified in the light of the Agricultural Household Model (Singh & Subramanian, 1986) which emphasizes how family farming strategies aim at combining business-related objectives, and family welfare. Then, a comprehensive set of external conditions is identified and then grouped within eight categories: ‘Factors’, ‘Demand’, ‘Finance and Risk’, ‘Regulation and Policy’, ‘Technological’, ‘Ecological’, ‘Socio-institutional’ and ‘Socio-demographic’. Similarly, six types of strategies are identified: ‘Agro-industrial competitiveness’, ‘Blurring farm borders’, ‘Rural development’, ‘Risk management’, ‘Political support’ and ‘Coping with farming decline’.

The objective of this study is to review the main studies of social entrepreneurship (SE) in Latin America, to categorize them into four categories. To accomplish this, a bibliometric literature review is carried out based on data from the Web of Science database, to locate the Latin American collection of studies. In this way, the main studies are described and grouped, following a qualitative scheme that allows to substantiate the main findings of the Latin authors. Consequently, the progress made in the literature of the SE for Latin America is corroborated, by visualizing that the SE turns out to be a forceful fact to manage well-being, but that it is faced with an inconsistent development.

The goal of this study is to understand if ethnocentrism exists at the sub-regional level among honey consumers living in the same production area as a protected designation of origin (PDO). Moreover, this analysis explores if ethnocentrism is influenced by individual economic conditions, among other socio-demographic characteristics.

A sample of 725 consumers was collected through the use of a questionnaire that was circulated in the province of Varese, one of the few honey PDO areas in Italy. The authors performed a principal component analysis and a two-step cluster analysis to identify different PDO honey consumer segments, focusing on their interest for PDO attributes.

The authors identified four consumer segments, depending on socio-demographic, consumption habits, frequencies, preferred attributes and preferences for the PDO product. One cluster exhibited strong preferences for the PDO honey, in the spirit of ethnocentrism, and was characterised by low-income levels; ethnocentric preferences were also observed in another cluster that had a different socio-economic profile.

Honey is a niche product and not universally diffused among consumers: further analyses should investigate sub-national ethnocentrism for more universal food products. Yet, through the inspection of the different profiles found, it was possible to devise marketing strategies to boost PDO honey purchasing and to bring consumers closer to PDO products.

This analysis considers ethnocentrism as a segmentation criterion for PDO honey consumers that live in the very same PDO honey production area and enriches the existing literature on the relationship between ethnocentrism and individual economic status.

This chapter highlights some features of the current structure of Italian agriculture by focusing on the regional patterns of agrarian change. These patterns are followed mainly by comparing the data of the 5th and 6th Census of Agriculture and the data of holdings registered to the Chambers of Commerce. The analysis confirms the Northern-Southern dichotomy of Italian agriculture as the physical and economic dimensions of Northern regions’ holdings are appreciably higher than those in the South. Other traits of farms, not usually included in most traditional analyses, help explain that Northern-Southern dichotomy: the farmers’ educational level and the ICT availability on farms. The agriculture of Southern regions has been affected less by the structural adjustment and has maintained some traits of more ‘traditional’ farming. However, important innovations, such as organic farming and direct selling to ‘consumers in house’, have been adopted more readily by Southern farms. The marked regional duality of Italian agriculture corresponds to the several ways in which farmers and their activities interconnect with territorial development models that have shown a deep regional differentiation.