Francesco Grillo – författare

Endogenous growth theory has significantly impacted most of the developing and developed countries, shifting priorities of industrial policies towards innovation. In line with this trend, the European Union significantly increased its budgetary allocation for R&D. However, statistical data show a weak correlation between R&D expenditure and the acceleration of economic growth. Regional innovation policies display divergent returns according to different institutional conditions and policy choices.Grillo and Nanetti attempt to understand the reasons that lie behind differences in performance. Their results show that better performing innovation strategies require the following factors: clear choices of locally congruent smart specialization; strong capacity of public investment to stimulate additional private investment; clear distribution of responsibilities for decision-making and independence of policy implementation from political interference; and problem solving partnerships amongst innovators, universities, and governments that pre-exist the programmes. These factors point to a relationship between democracy (defined as openness of policy-making) and innovation (as technology-enabled growth) which is explored throughout this book.

Endogenous growth theory has significantly impacted most of the developing and developed countries, shifting priorities of industrial policies towards innovation. In line with this trend, the European Union significantly increased its budgetary allocation for R&D. However, statistical data show a weak correlation between R&D expenditure and the acceleration of economic growth. Regional innovation policies display divergent returns according to different institutional conditions and policy choices.Grillo and Nanetti attempt to understand the reasons that lie behind differences in performance. Their results show that better performing innovation strategies require the following factors: clear choices of locally congruent smart specialization; strong capacity of public investment to stimulate additional private investment; clear distribution of responsibilities for decision-making and independence of policy implementation from political interference; and problem solving partnerships amongst innovators, universities, and governments that pre-exist the programmes. These factors point to a relationship between democracy (defined as openness of policy-making) and innovation (as technology-enabled growth) which is explored throughout this book.

An interdisciplinary framework for understanding climate anxiety Climate change generates measurable psychological consequences, yet research on eco-distress remains fragmented across disciplines. Climate Anxiety: An Interdisciplinary Approach, authored by a team of international researchers from universities and health institutions, offers an interdisciplinary framework for understanding climate anxiety and the psychological challenges of climate change. The book synthesizes perspectives from psychiatry, psychology, public health, and environmental science to provide a structured, cross-disciplinary account of how climate anxiety manifests, propagates, and affects populations, including cognitive, emotional, and behavioral dimensions, and addressing both individual-level responses and broader societal patterns of adaptation. The volume explores this topic by examining the key issues and current scientific literature in each of the world’s major region and the effect on indigenous populations. Readers will also find: A historical overview on the relationship between climate crisis, anxiety and violent reactions.A summary on the effects of climate change on mental health from a clinical perspective and a review of the main individual and group interventions for climate anxiety.An in-depth analysis on the relationship between climate anxiety and spirituality.A focus on intersectionality of climate change and its implications on the Global Majority.An investigation on the role of anxiety in climate prepping.An interpretation of climate anxiety as a sign of cultural trauma and how it is contributing to the mutation of global thought and culture.Climate Anxiety serves researchers, clinicians, public health professionals, and advanced students working at the intersection of mental health and environmental change. By unifying perspectives from psychiatry, psychology, and environmental science, this volume provides a structured foundation for understanding and addressing the psychological toll of ecological disruption.

Is democracy still the best political regime for countries to adapt to economic and technological pressures and increase their level of prosperity? While the West seems to have stagnated in an environment of political mistrust, increasing inequality and low growth, the rise of the East has shown that it may not be liberal democracy that is best at accommodating the social mutations that technologies have triggered.The cases of China and Italy form the research focus as two extremes in growth performance. China is the star of globalisation in the East, while Italy is the laggard of globalisation in the West and a laboratory of creeping political meltdown now shared by other major Western economies. But is this forever? Introducing the ‘innovation paradox’ as the main challenge to the West and the notion of ‘knowledge democracy’ as key to sustainable growth, this book presents a new side to the debate on theFourth Industrial Revolution (or fifth as the authors argue). It is a vital reading for all those questioning what kind of democracy positively impacts innovation as the force whose speed and direction transforms societies and economies.

Is democracy still the best political regime for countries to adapt to economic and technological pressures and increase their level of prosperity? While the West seems to have stagnated in an environment of political mistrust, increasing inequality and low growth, the rise of the East has shown that it may not be liberal democracy that is best at accommodating the social mutations that technologies have triggered. The cases of China and Italy form the research focus as two extremes in growth performance. China is the star of globalisation in the East, while Italy is the laggard of globalisation in the West and a laboratory of creeping political meltdown now shared by other major Western economies. But is this forever? Introducing the ‘innovation paradox’ as the main challenge to the West and the notion of ‘knowledge democracy’ as key to sustainable growth, this book presents a new side to the debate on theFourth Industrial Revolution (or fifth as the authors argue). It is a vital reading for all those questioning what kind of democracy positively impacts innovation as the force whose speed and direction transforms societies and economies.