Toward a 'Migrant Trap'? Local Development, Urban Sustainability, Sociodemographic Inequalities, and the Economic Decline in a Mediterranean Metropolis

After years following the breakdown of the Great Recession in Europe, crisis-driven urban shrinkage can be adequately investigated considering changes over time in selected demographic indicators, with a specific focus on migration. Using official statistics and a literature review, the present study documents the inherent demographic decline in metropolitan Athens (Greece) as a response to economic stagnation after a long-lasting expansion. The empirical results of our study delineate metropolitan shrinkage in Southern Europe as a process associated with complex socioeconomic conditions leading to (possibly counterintuitive) demographic outcomes as far as migration trends are concerned. Recession has determined unsustainable economic conditions especially for non-native population segments, promoting both class and ethnic segregation. The negative migration balance in the 2010s led to an intense population decline hitting settlements made already demographically fragile because of low fertility and aging. Athens became a sort of 'migrant trap', being progressively unattractive for incoming migration flows-both internal and international-and losing an increasingly high number of non-native residents settling in the area, especially during the 'gold' decade of the 2004 Olympics. A sudden reduction in immigration rates reflected both economic (recession) and non-economic (population aging, fertility reduction, and childbearing postponement) factors, causing an incipient shrinkage after secular urban growth. The empirical results of our study add to the traditional literature on 'industrial cities shrinkage' in Europe and contribute to (re)formulate short- and medium-term development scenarios in large agglomerations, shedding further light on the role of migration in crisis-driven processes of urban decline in Mediterranean Europe

Quality of life and social inclusion of inland areas: A multidimensional approach to performance policies and planning assessment

Improving quality of life and social inclusion is one of the priorities of national and community policies. Adopting the approach based on capabilities-functioning, the aim of this paper is to measure a Quality of Life (QoL) index of communities, selecting the specific variables that may influence quality of life of inland areas, such as: economic opportunities, health care, education, cultural and leisure activities, work-life balance, health and environmental protection. A QoL index for three dimensions (economic, social and environmental) and a global QoL were calculated using a non-compensatory method. The values obtained are included in the 70â\u80\u93130 range. The model, applied to the Basilicata region (131 municipalities), takes values in a range between 93 and 105, with 61% of municipalities with a global QoL below the regional average (=100). It tends to assume lower values in inland areas: 62% of inland areas are characterized by a global QoL below the regional average, due in part to fewer economic opportunities and social services, but also to the presence of major landslides and seismicity risks, against a greater health and environmental protection. The opportunity to assess the quality of life through an index, over time, may help policy makers addressing policies and evaluating their effects. Furthermore, an analysis of spatial autocorrelation helps identify different clusters and spatial outliers, useful for the identification of areas requiring priority interventions and future actions, which should take into account a balanced growth of the economic, social and environmental dimensions related to the quality of life

50 Years of Teaching and Research Trends at the Faculty of Economics of the Università Politecnica delle Marche

The chapter aims to provide an overview of the research and teaching activities carried out at the Faculty of Economics of the Università Politecnica delle Marche over the last 50 year