This article examines the relationship between social cohesion and economic vulnerability in Europe. The analyses are build around two main research hypotheses. The first one argues the existence of a direct and negative association between economic inequality and social cohesion. The second supposition states that this connection is mediated by some factors which include the individualsâ€TM position in the stratification system (i.e. social class). Finally, we believe that welfare state could be relevant because it influences both the relationship between social class and economic vulnerability and the link between social cohesion and economic vulnerability. The empirical analysis –based on the European Social Survey (ESS) carried out in 2003– shows the central role played by the welfare state and the existence of a direct and negative connection between social cohesion and economic vulnerability, only partially mediated by the effect of social class.

This thesis positions itself within the stream of research on self-tracking practices for the management of chronic illnesses. Self-care technologies, such as smartphones and many other mobile health devices, have led to the production of health data of patients outside institutional settings. This shift on the "personal" dimension of data has placed emphasis on self-knowledge practices supported by such technologies and on the concept of patient empowerment. Flanking a clinical trial conducted in north Italy aimed at quantifying the effectiveness and the acceptability of a self-tracking/remote-monitoring platform for type 1 and 2 diabetes patients, this work explores how a particular tool for self-tracking, the "personal experiment", fits in the process of knowledge of the patient with Type 2 Diabetes, exploring how the practice of learning to manage your own diabetes data is a complex activity that involves heterogeneous objects, actors and contexts. The leading research questions in this work were: (1) How do the knowing processes triggered by personal experiments involve patients’ with Type 2 Diabetes situated practices through their bodies, objects, technologies, contexts and relations? (2) How do personal experiments affect the empowerment and motivation of patients with Type 2 Diabetes to maintain a correct lifestyle? (3) How do personal experiments fit in the doctor-patient relationship, affecting existent educational practices and reconfiguring knowledge processes that involve patients with Type 2 Diabetes and their clinicians? By adopting a knowing in practice perspective and a subsequent qualitative research methodologies such as observation, semi-structured interviews, focus groups and co-design workshops, it was possible, firstly, to design a paper prototype of the digital personal experiment, “the notebook”; secondly, considering the notebook as a knowledge artefact allowed to explore the processes through which patients with Type 2 Diabetes learn to manage their disease, observing learning as a situated and emergent activity that involves first and foremost the patient's body, the objects and the power relationship with their clinicians.The main contributions of this thesis are on three different levels: first, analyzing self-knowledge of diabetes as a situated and emergent activity, it proposes to address the gap of studies on health literacy, which limit themselves to measuring what the patient learns as a result of the educational actions carried out by health professionals. Second, analyzing diabetes’ self-knowledge as a process that involves the practical knowledge and reconfigures power relationships between all actors involved, it aims to integrate studies on patient motivation and empowerment which conceive the doctor-patient reflections on patient’s data as a well-defined moment that follows a structured script. The ultimate goal of the thesis is to provide guidance to designers to develop digital personal experiments that are less standardized and more practice-based.

The aim of this research is to analyse the educational gap between native and foreign students in Europe. In last decades, because of the increasing number of immigrants, the sociological literature on the ethnic stratification in education has considerably grown. However, several aspects of the relationship between ethnicity and educational inequality are still under debate. This research is based on the assumption that the gross educational disadvantage of foreign students is due to differences in both achievements and educational choices. I analyse the several dimensions that scholars have identified as being able to influence one of them, or both. The roles played by individual characteristics –micro-level– (such as: social class, cultural background, gender, ethnicity and migration background), by the school context –meso-level– (i.e. peers group, teachers, and the school) and by the institutional context –macro-level– (the educational system and the country’s migration history) will be analytically divided. As different European nations have historically attracted migrants from specific countries in specific periods, individual’s ethnicity has long coincided with his immigration generation. Nowadays, because of the growing number of nationalities present in each country, it is finally possible to separate these two dimensions. Thus, I add to the debate in that I analyse whether ethnicity and migration background influence the individual educational success independently one another and independently of social origins. Moreover, I address whether the relationship between ethnicity and educational inequality is due to primary or secondary effects. In other words, I investigate if ethnicity and migration background influence only academic competences – which than translate in better choices – or if they are also able to directly affect the latter, net of individuals academic skills. I

The process of European integration forces the scientific community to reflect on the importance of the national level as the appropriate one for the analyses of social inequalities. Especially among the studies on poverty and deprivation there is growing concern about the choice of the proper geographical reference. Indeed, within the research on poverty, beside the †̃traditionalâ€TM approach based on a national poverty line other studies rely on different geographical thresholds, either supra-national (the pan-european approach) or sub-national (the regional approach). I aimed to add to this debate an additional level of investigation, centred on the theoretical relevance of trans-national clusters of European regions that is cluster of regions that could belong to different nation-states but that nonetheless show more economic, social and institutional similarities than those existing among different †̃areasâ€TM belonging to the same nation-state. In order to analyse the micro and macro determinants of poverty, I organized this thesis balancing both theoretical and methodological aspects. The first chapter reviews the most important literature on social inequality, distinguishing between the micro-level perspective (i.e. individualization theory versus cumulative risks theory) and, the macro-level one emphasizing, above all, the institutional rules in shaping social inequalities underlined by the political economy, the economic sociology, the urban sociology and the economic theories. In the second chapter I overviewed, discussed and problematized the several conceptualizations, operationalisations and measurations of poverty, therefore it represents a theoretical and methodological contribution at the contemporary debate on poverty as well as an important starting point for the analysis presented in the three empirical chapters. From a methodological point of view, on the one hand I used complex statistics techniques (the multiple imputation methods) to create an high-quality database for the analysis of poverty by a multidimensional, longitudinal and regional-comparative perspective. On the other one, this thesis is valuable for using cutting edge techniques in the area of poverty and social exclusion. More specifically, in the first two empirical chapters (Ch. 3 and 4) I specified several multilevel models (random intercept and random slope too) in order to disentangle the household and individual level determinants of poverty from the macro-level ones, and also to describe which of the macro-institutional perspective (national, European, regional or trans-national) is the most useful in describing e predicting the distribution of poverty within the European regions analysed. While in the last empirical chapter (Ch. 5) I specified an econometric panel model to specifically analyse the true state dependence in poverty; so doing I focused also at the social exclusion phenomena. Furthermore, every model presented in the three empirical chapters has been specified using several operationalization of poverty (that is, using the national, European, regional and trans-national poverty lines). The main conclusions of this thesis are linked with the validity and reliability of the relative poverty measure and the institutional concepts of welfare-states, economic regions and trans-national clusters. First of all, it seems that the relative measure of poverty is a good one to predict and describe the phenomena. Indeed, the micro-determinant of poverty are not affected by the poverty line (national, European, regional or trans-national) used in the models proposed. Obviously the number of people at risk of poverty are affected by such definitions, but the relative structure of relation among the individual and household determinant are not. Secondly, it seems that the macro-determinant of poverty are affected by the poverty line definition and, above all, the variation produced on the country-variables effect is not coherent with the welfare state interpretation of poverty and social exclusion. On the contrary, the regional and the trans-national perspectives effects are more stable regardless the poverty line adopted, and they help to capture the most part of the regional variance among the European regions analysed. Furthermore, I pointed out the interaction effect between the individual characteristics linked to labour market position (i.e. unemployed status) and the regional framework: the random slope models show the significant impact of the regional context in shaping the social exclusion experience. Finally, it is important that these results are coherent with both multilevel and panel models.

The role of social networks in creating and sustaining migration flows, as well as in the adjustment and settlement of migrants, has long been recognized in migration studies. However, cross-fertilization between migration research and network approaches is still uncommon. Utilizing a mixed-method network approach, this study contributes in furthering the understanding of how migrant networks operate. Migrant networks are conceptualized as embedded in dynamic and changing systems, and shown as evolving depending on various contexts and situations. Examined are ego-centric networks of the 134 respondents (58 in London and 76 in New York) in three migration phases: before coming to London or New York; initial period of adjustment; and the current network as a result of the subsequent process of settlement in the place of destination (in total, 402 network maps). In particular, compared are three different occupational groups – nurses, domestics, and care workers. Conceptually dividing the migration process in three phases provided the opportunity to study network dynamics and networking practices, albeit retrospectively. Eliciting migrant networks was embedded within in-depth interviews using both electronic and paper-based network visualization. The findings suggest contrasting network composition in two global cities and across the three occupational groups. In New York, familial ties play an almost exclusive role in facilitating and supporting the movement of Filipino migrants. In London, most of the research participants relied on former employers (in the case of domestic workers) or recruitment agencies (in the case of nurses and care workers in institutional facilities) to facilitate their move. These differences in pre-migration networks then shaped subsequent network formations, adjustments, and settlement experiences. Findings also illustrate that although networks have supportive influence on facilitation of the move and post-migration settlement, familial and co-ethnic ties can also be exploitative to the newly-arrived and undocumented migrants. Situating the particular cases in macro-level context, the study explores how the narratives of attaining the good life through overseas work are interconnected to the need and demand for care labor in the US and the UK as well as the Philippine state-led marketization of high-quality workers as an export commodity.

Questa tesi di dottorato affronta e approfondisce tre temi diversi ma legati tra loro: le performance accademiche degli studenti nell'istruzione terziaria, l'uso del tempo e l'utilizzo dei Big Data nelle scienze sociali. Gli obiettivi che hanno fatto nascere questo lavoro, attraverso un approccio a tratti interdisciplinare, sono stati, in primo luogo, cercare di colmare empiricamente alcune lacune legate a interrogativi di ricerca rimasti parzialmente senza risposta in letteratura e, in secondo luogo, proporre soluzioni metodologiche connesse soprattutto alla raccolta dei dati e alla loro affidabilità nel rispondere a questi interrogativi in un modo quanto più possibile coerente con la realtà . La tesi non ha una struttura monografica in quanto i quattro capitoli empirici hanno una struttura propria. Il primo capitolo empirico vuole essere un inquadramento generale dell'intera tesi che mira a indagare l'effetto del capitale culturale familiare sia sulle performance accademiche degli studenti, sia su alcuni aspetti legati alla gestione che essi fanno del proprio tempo che, tradizionalmente, sono associati a una buona riuscita accademica, ipotizzando che l'origine sociale non esaurisca il suo effetto nei livelli d'istruzione precedenti. I modelli di equazione strutturali, attraverso l'analisi multi-gruppo, hanno consentito di costruire l'analisi in un'ottica comparativa rispetto al settore disciplinare di appartenenza. Il secondo capitolo approfondisce la dimensione temporale, ovvero come gli studenti organizzano le attività durante le loro giornate, al fine di comprendere come essa possa influire sui risultati universitari. L'obiettivo principale è stato colmare alcune lacune empiriche presenti in letteratura che mostrano risultati contrastanti su questo tema, dettati soprattutto da problemi di raccolta dati, non sempre adatti a indagare l'uso che gli studenti fanno del proprio tempo. Anche questo capitolo propone uno sguardo comparativo, confrontando degli studenti del primo anno, cioè gli studenti più a rischio rispetto al gestire il proprio tempo in modo poco efficace, con gli studenti degli anni successivi. Il terzo capitolo descrive il progetto SmartUnitn, fulcro di questo lavoro di tesi al fine di evidenziare come l'utilizzo di ICTs è in questo caso gli smartphone nella fase di raccolta dati possa contribuire a migliorare la qualità del dato ottenuto andando a risolvere alcune questioni problematiche derivanti dagli strumenti tradizionali utilizzati dagli scienziati sociali. Il quarto e ultimo capitolo, propone un caso concreto di utilizzo dei dati ottenuti dall'esperimento SmartUnitn, proponendo un metodo che, grazie all'unione dei dati dei sensori e i dati delle risposte degli studenti, possa colmare alcune lacune presenti in letteratura sul tema dell'influenza dell'utilizzo dei social media sui risultati universitari.

La mia tesi di dottorato si presenta come un lavoro di ricerca empirica che ha messo a fuoco la questione della sicurezza organizzativa quale pratica situata, vale a dire non come mera “assenza di errori”, ma piuttosto come capacità emergente di un contesto organizzativo di funzionare in maniera affidabile, ri-configurando le attività degli attori organizzativi quando si verifica un breakdown. Riferimento empirico della tesi è la sala operatoria, dove la sicurezza di pazienti ed operatori costituisce un elemento inscindibile dalle pratiche lavorative e dalle dinamiche organizzative, dove socialità e materialità risultano intrecciate grazie all’elevata densità tecnologica dell’ambiente operatorio e dove l’interprofessionalità contraddistingue il lavoro d’équipe. Attraverso l’etnografia organizzativa e lo shadowing all’interno dei blocchi operatori di due ospedali italiani, ho indagato quali sono le dinamiche organizzative e lavorative che permettono agli attori organizzativi di performare pratiche mediche sicure, nonché la maniera in cui le diverse dinamiche che entrano in gioco nel corso delle attività quotidiane in sala operatoria favoriscono/ostacolano la creazione e la stabilizzazione della sicurezza. Nella prima parte della tesi ho illustrato il framework teorico e metodologico, mentre nella seconda viene illustrata l’analisi della ricerca condotta. Ciò che è emerso dall’analisi del materiale empirico è che la sicurezza operatoria si costruisce a partire dall’allineamento di tre dinamiche organizzative, quali: processi tecnologici, competenze esperte e conoscenze sensibili, dinamiche comunicative Ciascuna di queste dinamiche fornisce stabilità alle pratiche mediche che hanno luogo in sala ed alla sicurezza operatoria grazie alla maniera in cui si allinea alle altre. Rispetto dunque agli studi sino ad oggi realizzati sul tema, il mio lavoro vuole fornire spunti di riflessione per guardare alla sicurezza come pratica che prende forma a partire non più dal modo in cui una singola dinamica organizzativa consente o ostacola la realizzazione delle attività in sala (in maniera esente da rischi o pericoli potenziali), ma dal modo in cui ciascuna dinamica si aggancia e si allinea alle altre. In tal senso, la sicurezza organizzativa può essere letta ed analizzata quale pratica e network sociomateriale. Nello studio della sicurezza organizzativa, la comprensione e l’analisi della “natura” dei legami tra gli elementi del network permette anche di andare oltre la separazione (spesso forzata) tra gli studi di stampo clinico e manageriale e la letteratura di matrice sociologica: poiché entrambe le letterature sono oggi giunte all’individuazione di alcune dinamiche chiave (in buona parte coincidenti) nella creazione e stabilizzazione della sicurezza organizzativa, potrebbe risultare interessante integrare i risultati prodotti da ricerche condotte da prospettive differenti.

L’objet de cette étude est le Mouvement des Focolari. Fondé à Trente (Italie) en 1943 par Chiara Lubich, il naît de la contestation de l’Église et du monde. Le concept d’utopie nous permet d’analyser le déploiement de cette organisation religieuse au sein de l’institution ecclésiale et dans les sociétés actuelles. L’utopie religieuse des focolarins conduit à une nouvelle conception de la religiosité et à une réforme de l’Église. La réhabilitation des laïcs, de la virtuosité religieuse et de la sainteté à laquelle les focolarins aspiraient, sera sanctionnée par le concile Vatican II. Si la virginité apparaît comme l’instrument de la contestation, le Mouvement désirera rapidement s’adresser à tous les individus. La volonté de révolutionner les domaines social, culturel et économique entraîne la création de villes idéales et d’une utopédagogie et aboutit à la proposition d’une alternative globale qui se veut universalisable. Anticipant ou s’inscrivant dans les grandes tendances des sociétés ultramodernes (notamment l’individualisme, la différenciation des sphères sociétales et la mondialisation), les focolarins cherchent actuellement à systématiser différentes notions (telles la fraternité, l’égalité et la liberté) afin de parvenir à l’unité de l’humanité.

The research assesses the social impact of introducing automated electoral procedures. Starting with an overview of the current debate in the Italian and in the international arena, it considers the viewpoint of different stakeholders: bureaucrats, politicians, civil society, pressure groups and the market within four case studies (Estonia, Ireland, Great Britain and the Netherlands) to highlight the direct and unexpected consequences of changing a long established habit in such a delicate matter as voting. It also draws data from the largest Italian experimentation of electronic voting in a supervised environment – held in the Autonomous Province of Trento between 2004 and 2009 – to report on the attitudes and on the actual behaviour of electors facing the electronic option. The deployment of multivariate regression models on survey data supports the hypothesis of existing divides between those who are favourable to automation in elections and those who are not, the main cleavages being age and education. Furthermore, a greater degree of trust in the generalised other is needed in e-voting but not perceived in i-voting, while both voting procedures appeal those who are already politically mobilized but less attached to traditions. A greater level of techno-determinism is also related to the propensity of accepting automated procedures. Evidence about the practice of e-voting during the experimentation – gathered by means of an innovative method labelled as parallel ethnography – shows that during the field trial unforeseeable threats occurred to the constitutional requirements of personality, equality and secrecy. This hiatus between instructions and instructed actions calls not only for a more thorough training of electronic scrutinizers but also for a better design of the machine’s interface and for an adequate legal framework, should e-voting become legally binding.

School bullying: does the study of peer harassment in schools delve deeper into the relationships of young people with rules and values? What are the key factors that can help to better identify and understand the phenomenon ? The work starts from a re-definition of school bullying based on the cross contribution of each character acting in the educational scene where the undesirable dynamics take place to propose a local analysis of the problem. Each school bullying initiative is analysed in the context of the specific situation that it create and from which it raises. Attention is also brought to the attribution of meanings as well as to the reciprocal perception of the compliance with the rules by students. Four Italian classrooms are examined taking into account the dynamics of their relationships and conflicts; their organization, rules and discipline; the axiological investments made by young people and promoted by their teachers. / L’étude du harcèlement systématique entre pairs à l’école (school bullying) est-il éclairé par l’approfondissement de la relation aux normes qu’entretiennent les jeunes acteurs ? Quels sont les éléments clé aidant l’identification et la compréhension du phénomène ? A partir d’une redéfinition du bullying insistant sur les apports croisés de chaque protagoniste sur la scène des dynamiques indésirables, le travail propose une étude située du problème. Chaque acte et chaque initiative de type bullying sont ainsi analysés dans le cadre de la situation spécifique qu’ils dessinent et dont ils relèvent à la fois. Pour cela, l’attention est portée sur les attributions de sens et sur la perception réciproque d’adhésions normatives mises en avant par les élèves concernés. Quatre classes scolaires italiennes sont analysées dans leurs dynamiques relationnelles et conflictuelles ; du point de vue de leur organisation, de l’ordre et de la discipline ; en termes d’investissements axiologiques opérés par les jeunes et leur entourage et encouragés par les enseignants