Over the last decade (2001-2010), the European Union has observed a consistent increase in municipal waste (MW) per capita in 18 out of its 28 members (European Environment Agency, 2013). Even if MW only accounts for approximately 10% of total waste generated in the EU, it has a relevant socio-environmental impact (Eurostat, 2016a,b). In this perspective, studies that investigate the determinants of MW generation are particularly valuable since they might inform policies aimed at incentivizing MW reduction, that are very important in the waste management strategy (Beigl et al., 2008). This paper aims to contribute to the literature by empirically addressing a highly debated issue, namely the existence of a link between economic wealth and waste production as modeled by the Waste Kuznets Curve (WKC), Original Articles Kuznets curve in municipal solid waste production: An empirical analysis based on municipal-level panel data from the Lombardy region (Italy)

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In light of the global significance of food waste, a greater focus on improving food waste management strategies is called for. Implementing such management strategies requires a better understanding of stakeholder relations. This paper analyses the structure of multiplex relations among stakeholders involved in the creation of a novel food waste management system, investigating the drivers of network formation when multiple collaborations are observed between pairs of stakeholders. We apply Social Network Analysis to study food waste reduction strategies in the City of Ferrara (Italy). Our results provide support for the practical relevance of multiple interactions across dyadic relationships in stakeholder networks. They also suggest that 'third parties' are not necessary for an effective networking strategy, and that relationships between stakeholders of similar levels of expertise are not required for establishing multiple relationships, 2 suggesting that functionally diverse coalitions are of greater practical relevance for food waste management strategies.

By using a large cross-sectional dataset that observes municipalities from one of the most populated and wealthiest regions in Europe (Lombardy, Italy), this paper investigates how municipal waste re-cycling is correlated with a wide set of municipallevel variables. Results show that municipal waste recycling is linked to geographical, demographic, socio-economic and political variables. They also reveal that these tendencies vary according to municipalities' population size. This empirical analysis helps in identifying those municipalities that have higher probability of being virtuous in terms of waste recycling.

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As wine supply chains become increasingly globalized, sustainability issues take on ever greater importance. This is the first study to analyse the environmental sustainability aspect of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a global wine supply chain perspective, covering just over 90% of Finland´s wine imports. Lacking substantial domestic production capacity, virtually all wine consumed in Finland is imported. Finland is comparable to its Nordic neighbours, Sweden and Norway, in this respect.The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was combined with sensitivity and scenario analyses to investigate GHG emissions implications from prospective policy changes. Our results spotlight differences related to wine production in the eight main wine producing countries for the Finnish market

In spite of our current understanding of Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) design and implementation, an understanding of interrelated governance practices aimed at addressing S3 governance issues is lacking. Applying a data-triangulation approach to a large peripheral Finnish region (Lapland), the analysis suggests that S3 implementation faces two key challenges: first, the development of stakeholder networks to support diversified specialization; and second, the lack of entrepreneurial discovery activity and associated differentiation of specialization. Policy solutions aimed at successful S3 implementation could focus on more targeted stakeholder engagement to mobilize resources for further diversified specialization.

Climate change is considered by policymakers as one of the most pressing global issues of our time. International institutions and national governments are, to varying degrees, committed to tackling climate change, but it has only been possible to define a shared system of collective goals across countries through the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP21). A growing interest in climate change policy has been present in the Italian political debate, yet we have little evidence regarding the nature of related climate change debates across Italian policymakers. By using Discourse Network Analysis (DNA) to investigate Italian policymakers’ discourses in the Chamber of Deputies during the 17th Italian Legislature (2013–2018), this study shows that debates on climate change-related strategies are largely unpolarized, except for certain issues, and that coalitions emerge over time around core strategies. Groups of policymakers with similar policy beliefs emerge independently from their political affiliations. Our analysis is thus the first to apply DNA to provide empirical evidence of the convergence across Italian policymakers and the potential for the bridging of political discourses on climate change.