The Constitutionalisation of a Compound Democracy: Comparing the European Union with the American Experience

Based on an interpretation of the European Union (EU) as a compound democracy, thisarticle argues that the constitutionalisation of the European Union is necessarily acontested process.. A compound democracy is defined as a union of states constituted byunits of different demographic size, political history and geographical interests, and as suchis necessarily characterized by different views on its constitutional identity. The EUexperience is analyzed from the perspective of the United States (US), which is acompound democracy by design. In both cases, constitutionalisation has been an open andcontested process. However, whereas the US process was based on a commonconstitutional framework, at least since the Civil War, and has been ordered by a supermajorityprocedure for settling disputes, the EU lacks a document that embodies a sharedlanguage and a procedure that is able to solve the disputes. As a result, the process ofconstitutionalisation in the EU, contrary to the one in the US, ends up periodically instalemate.constitutional change; constitution building; European Convention

Neuropsychiatric disturbances in atypical Parkinsonian disorders

Multiple system atrophy (MSA), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and corticobasal degeneration (CBD) are the most common atypical parkinsonisms. These disorders are characterized by varying combinations of autonomic, cerebellar and pyramidal system, and cognitive dysfunctions. In this paper, we reviewed the evidence available on the presence and type of neuropsychiatric disturbances in MSA, PSP, and CBD. A MedLine, Excerpta Medica, PsycLit, PsycInfo, and Index Medicus search was performed to identify all articles published on this topic between 1965 and 2018. Neuropsychiatric disturbances including depression, anxiety, agitation, and behavioral abnormalities have been frequently described in these disorders, with depression as the most frequent disturbance. MSA patients show a higher frequency of depressive disorders when compared to healthy controls. An increased frequency of anxiety disorders has also been reported in some patients, and no studies have investigated apathy. PSP patients may have depression, apathy, disinhibition, and to a lesser extent, anxiety and agitation. In CBD, neuropsychiatric disorders are similar to those present in PSP. Hallucinations and delusions are rarely reported in these disorders. Neuropsychiatric symptoms in MSA, PSP, and CBD do not appear to be related to the severity of motor dysfunction and are one of the main factors that determine a low quality of life. The results suggest that neuropsychiatric disturbances should always be assessed in patients with atypical parkinsonisms

The Madonna's body: The social construction of a neutralized body

This paper deals with the statue of Our Lady of Maidens, kept in the parish church of Civitella Roveto in the Abruzzo region, in Italy. After describing the religious rituals involving the statue of this Virgin in order to shed light on her title, the study goes on to analize vernacular discourses about her and explore the prohibition regarding the touching of her body. The symbolic aspects of the shapeless body of the statue are then investigated and discussed in the light of Marian, anthropological, sociological, and feminist literature, considering them a specific device for expelling female sexual desire from the domain of fertility. The article, focused on the body of the Madonna, hopes to contribute to studies in religious materiality as well as to studies in the social construction of gender inequality

Quality of life in Parkinson’s disease: Italian validation of the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39-IT)

Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the 39-item Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) to the Italian culture was performed by Oxford University Innovation in 2008, but this version has never been validated. Therefore, we performed the process of validation of the Italian version of the PDQ-39 (PDQ-39-IT) following the “Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Status Measurement Instruments” checklist. The translated PDQ-39-IT was tested with 104 patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) who were recruited between June and October 2017. The mean age of the participants was 65.7 ± 10.2 years, and the mean duration of symptoms was 7.4 ± 5.3 years. The internal consistency of the PDQ-39-IT was assessed by Cronbach’s alpha and ranged from 0.69 to 0.92. In an assessment of test-retest reliability in 35 of the 104 patients, the infraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) ranged from 0.85 to 0.96 for the various subitems of the PDQ-39-IT (all p < 0.01). Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient for the validity of the PDQ-39-IT and the Italian version of the 36-Item Short Form (SF-36) was − 0.50 (p < 0.01). The results show that the PDQ-39-IT is a reliable and valid tool to assess the impact of PD on functioning and well-being. Thus, the PDQ-39-IT can be used in clinical and research practice to assess this construct and to evaluate the overall effect of different treatments in Italian PD patients

Reliability and validity of the geriatric depression scale in Italian subjects with Parkinson's disease

Introduction. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) is commonly used to assess depressive symptoms, but its psychometric properties have never been examined in Italian people with Parkinson's disease (PD). The aim of this study was to study the reliability and validity of the Italian version of the GDS in a sample of PD patients. Methods. The GDS was administered to 74 patients with PD in order to study its internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct, and discriminant validity. Results. The internal consistency of GDS was excellent (α = 0.903), as well as the test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.941 [95% CI: 0.886-0.970]). GDS showed a strong correlation with instruments related to the depression (ρ = 0.880) in PD (ρ = 0.712) and a weak correlation with generic measurement instruments (-0.320 < ρ <-0.217). An area under the curve of 0.892 (95% CI 0.809-0.975) indicated a moderate capability to discriminate depressed patients to nondepressed patient, with a cutoff value between 15 and 16 points that predicts depression (sensitivity = 87%; specificity = 82%). Conclusion. The GDS is a reliable and valid tool in a sample of Italian PD subjects; this scale can be used in clinical and research contexts

EU-flashlight 2017/07. Brexit and freedom of movement in the EU: a legal primer. Interview September 2017

Brexit negotiations are in full swing. A main point of contention involves the freedom of movement of EU citizens. To explore the legal basis and limitations of a key EU right, we interviewed Federico Fabbrini, Professor of European Law

flashlight europe 03/2017: Brexit and a Multi-speed Europe: a Lawyer's Perspective. Interview / 16 March 2017

On 25 March 2017 the European Union celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. With Brexit around the corner and the EU searching for its future strategy, we talk to EU law Professor Federico Fabbrini on the legal challenges ahead

The tyranny of the familiar: why we should be wary of proposals to ‘parliamentarise’ EU decision-making

Strengthening the role of the European Parliament has often been proposed as a method for addressing the EU’s alleged democratic deficit. Sergio Fabbrini writes that while there are legitimate criticisms to be made about the intergovernmental model of European integration, any attempt to create a system approximating national parliamentary democracy at the European level would be counter-productive. He argues that what the integration project requires is a new theory that moves beyond the standoff between intergovernmental and parliamentary approaches

Intergovermentalism and its Outcomes: the Implications of the Euro Crisis on the European Union

The euro crisis has brought to the crisis of the intergovernmental EU not of the EU as such. The Lisbon Treaty in fact has institutionalized a dual constitution, supranational in the single market’s policies and intergovernmental in (among others) economic and financial policies. The extremely complex system of economic governance set up for answering the euro crisis has been defined and implemented on the basis of the intergovernmental constitution of the EU. The euro crisis has thus represented a test for testing the validity of the intergovernmental constitution of the Lisbon Treaty. Although the measures adopted in the period 2010-2012, consisting both of legislative decisions and new intergovernmental treaties, are of an unprecedented magnitude, they were nevertheless unable to promote effective and legitimate solutions for dealing with the financial crisis. In the context of an existential challenge, the intergovernmental approach faced a structural difficulty in solving basic dilemmas of collective action.The euro crisis has brought to the crisis of the intergovernmental EU not of the EU as such. The Lisbon Treaty in fact has institutionalized a dual constitution, supranational in the single market’s policies and intergovernmental in (among others) economic and financial policies. The extremely complex system of economic governance set up for answering the euro crisis has been defined and implemented on the basis of the intergovernmental constitution of the EU. The euro crisis has thus represented a test for testing the validity of the intergovernmental constitution of the Lisbon Treaty. Although the measures adopted in the period 2010-2012, consisting both of legislative decisions and new intergovernmental treaties, are of an unprecedented magnitude, they were nevertheless unable to promote effective and legitimate solutions for dealing with the financial crisis. In the context of an existential challenge, the intergovernmental approach faced a structural difficulty in solving basic dilemmas of collective action.Refereed Working Papers / of international relevanc

Archivi d'impresa: infrastrutture e fabbriche dell'Impresa Budini-Gattai

Fra le imprese che hanno operato nel panorama toscano del XIX secolo, molte hanno lasciato testimonianze evidenti nel quadro del costruito. Tuttavia solo di alcune si conosce la storia. È il problema della misura dell’impegno di operatori, non di primo piano, nell’universo edilizio regionale. La ditta Gattai, poi società Gattai-Budini, si colloca proprio in questo contesto. L’azienda svolgeva la propria attività prevalentemente in ambito infrastrutturale - ha realizzato, fra gli altri, porzioni dei Lungarni fiorentini ed una tratta della ferrovia per Faenza -, ma costruito anche edifici nell’ambito della ristrutturazione poggiana di Firenze. Dall’analisi di prima mano dei suoi archivi, oltre che da ricerche bibliografiche mirate, si è potuto ricostruire non solo la storia, ma anche la modalità di progettazione, di esecuzione e di gestione di molte opere edili del fine Ottocento