This PhD dissertation is a collection of four essays focusing on the demand and supply of small business finance in Kenya. The studies are the result of primary research conducted over three years with both demand-side players, more specifically micro and small-scale entrepreneurs operating in a low-income area in Nairobi. And the main suppliers of small businesses finance in Kenya - commercial banks - which provided data on the size, characteristics and evolution of their SME finance portfolio between 2009 and 2013. Since commercial banks are not the only players in the provision of finance to small firms, the dissertation studies the entire financial landscape of both formal and informal financial providers, including institutions such as microfinance institutions, savings groups and moneylenders among others. The dissertation is divided in two parts: the first half of the dissertation analyses the determinants, effects and challenges of access to formal and informal finance by small enterprises in Nairobi (Essays 1 and 2). These two essays use primary data collected through a survey questionnaire with 344 micro and small enterprises in a low income neighbourhood in Nairobi. The analysis describes the financial landscapes in which businesses operate and the effects of access to credit on firm performance (e.g. investments, profitability and employment growth.). The second half of the dissertation analyses the supply-side, more specifically the relation between formal financial sector development and economic growth (Essay 3) and the characteristics and development of bank financing to SMEs (small and medium enterprises) in Kenya (Essay 4). Essay 3 relies on secondary time-series data taken from the World Bank databases, whereas Essay 4 uses original survey data administered to commercial banks in Kenya in two survey rounds in 2012 and 2014. Each essay in this dissertation is a standalone study with its own literature survey, research questions, data and methodological approach. The main findings of the demand-side chapters is that informality has significant effects on access (or exclusion) to bank finance, but is less relevant when we investigate informal financial instruments such as self-help groups and family/friend loans. Essay 2 of the dissertation shows that different types of loans have different effects on the performance of businesses, and that loans from commercial banks seem to incentivize investments and employment creation more than other types of loans. The supply-side chapters on the other hand show that there is a long-term association between financial sector development in Kenya and economic growth, and that there is a reciprocal relation of causality over the long-run. Finally, Essay 4 shows that bank financing to SMEs has grown steadily over the last few years and that banks are increasingly exposed to small businesses in their lending portfolio. However, the financial products to SMEs tend to be unsophisticated and concentrated in few sectors.

This Doctoral Thesis develops the illegal procedure delays in Spain, making a comparison with Italian system, which is more advanced in this matter and recently issued the Law 69 of 2009 on the damage delay. The illegal delays can be defined as a: “Postpone incurred by the Spanish Public Administration exceeding the term provided to decide, causing damages to the associates”. Currently at Spain, despite of the obligation of solving established in Article 42 of Law 30 of 1992, does not exist a truly liability when public authorities non fulfillment the term to provide and the citizens are defenseless against Administration’s inactivity.

The diffusion of episodes of terrorism and political violence around the world has heightened the need for states to design effective counterterrorist measures. Orthodox studies on terrorism hold that the frequency and intensity of terrorist attacks determine the levels of assertiveness maintained by counterterrorist measures. This research builds on this assumption by developing the link between terrorism and counterterrorism policy through two unit-level variables. Besides the frequency and intensity of terrorist attacks, this study examines the political orientation of states’ elites, and states’ integration in multilateral security frameworks. The research tests for these factors by studying counterterrorist authoritarian regimes, and questions the notion that their political orientation makes state terrorism a measure of choice. In empirical terms, this study investigates the making of China’s counterterrorism policy in Xinjiang from 1996 to 2017. The period is analysed by comparing three within-cases, bookended by pre identified critical junctures. China’s counterterrorist measures in Xinjiang have experienced a revival since President Xi came into power in 2013, and the country has been quick to adopt a counterterrorism policy that has come to resemble state terrorism. Yet, no substantial variation in the opposition to the country’s elite nor exceptionally violent terrorist attacks have been recorded in the region. This study relies upon qualitative data, such as political discourse and documents, news media and scholarly writings, and aggregated data is examined to complement the qualitative sources. Methodologically, this thesis supplements process tracing with qualitative content analysis. The evidence provides support for a theory of ‘multi-causal counterterrorism’, according to which counterterrorism policy depends on the combination of systemic and domestic factors. Other than the incidence of terrorist attacks, states choose their counterterrorism policy in the context of ever-changing power relationships at the international and domestic levels. It is concluded that these power relationships impose constraints on states’ decision-making abilities.

Starting from the consideration that gated estates and complexes are increasingly becoming part of the urban, peri-urban and rural landscape of many societies undergoing transformation, the aim of this dissertation is to explore what difference it makes to live in an enclosed space in order to understand not only the choice of living in such environments, but also their spatial, social and political implications and manifestations. This work does so by adopting a relational perspective and by comparing two different neighbourhoods of Johannesburg, South Africa: a newly built gated golf estate (Eagle Canyon) and an old open suburb (Northcliff). In order to develop insights into the ways in which life in a gated community is related to the life outside, an ethnographic study of three years has been carried on in the gated golf estate and in the open suburb. This work argues that gated enclaves, internally organized and managed by specific institutions, not only provide the space in which the "good life" is lead, but most importantly set the standard and the terms of this good life and provide a system of justification for it. Putting in dialogue the two suburbs, this dissertation points out that gated estates provide the sace in which an escalation of belonging takes place. The novelty of the study lies in the discovery that the relationship between Northcliff and Eagle Canyon and then between Eagle Canyon and other gated estates is not simply of one between different urban phenomena but, in addition, is one of political scale. Northcliff is to the City what Eagle Canyon is to the nation. In other words, these respective communities instantiate, symbolically, different scales of political community.

Il dissolvimento dell'Unione Sovietica, alla fine del 1991, ha avuto un impatto di straordinaria rilevanza sull'Asia Centrale. Se il controllo di Mosca sull'area portò alla formazione di entità statuali con confini artificiali e caratterizzate dalla presenza al loro interno di un intricatissimo melting pot etnico, il crollo dell'Urss ha fatto sorgere un inedito scenario geopolitico. Il vuoto di potere registrato nel centro asiatico, infatti, ha generato una serrata competizione diplomatica tra i principali attori del sistema internazionale, ansiosi di accrescere la propria influenza sulla regione. Ciò sulla base dei principali fattori della sua rilevanza strategica, primo fra tutti quello energetico. Prendendo le mosse da tali considerazioni, il progetto di ricerca – utilizzando un approccio storico-politico – mira ad analizzare la geopolitica dell'energia relativamente al Turkmenistan, paese che dispone delle quarte riserve mondiali di gas naturale. Sulla base, da un lato, delle peculiari caratteristiche di tale risorsa e, dall'altro, dell'impatto del suo possesso sulla sfera politica interna e la proiezione internazionale della Repubblica centro asiatica, ci si propone di stabilire se quest'ultima abbia la possibilità di accrescere in futuro il proprio ruolo geopolitico, diventando un attore al centro delle dinamiche strategiche regionali e globali. / The crumbling of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991 has represented a decisive moment for Central Asia. Moscow's control over the area favoured the formation of state actors characterized by artificial frontiers and an extraordinary ethnic mix. On the other hand, the soviet dissolution has led to a new geopolitical situation. The lack of power experimented in the region has generated an international diplomatic race, with the main state actors eager to increase their influence over Central Asia. This mainly due to the strategic relevance of the area, especially related to the energy dimension. By starting from these assumptions, the research project aims to analyze – by adopting an historical-political approach – the geopolitics of energy with reference to Turkmenistan, a country that has at its disposal the fourth biggest reserves of natural gas globally. On the basis of the specific properties of this raw material on the one hand, and of the impact of its possession on the turkmen political sphere, on the other, the issue is defined. The goal is to establish whether Turkmenistan has the chance to increase its future geopolitical role, becoming an actor at the heart of regional and global strategic dynamics.

La tesi si propone di portare alla luce la figura di Edoardo Martino. Parlamentare dalla I alla IV legislatura, più volte sottosegretario alla Presidenza del Consiglio al fianco di De Gasperi (V-VII gabinetto) e sottosegretario alla Difesa e agli Affari esteri in successivi Governi (Pella, Fanfani, Segni, Leone). Designato come mero della delegazione italiana all'Assemblea parlamentare europea e al Parlamento Europeo, fu presidente della Commissione politica di quest'ultimo dal 1964 al 1967, quando venne designato come Commissario per le relazioni esterne delle Comunità nella commissione guidata da Jean Rey. / This work enlightens the political experience of Edoardo Martino, Italian and European political man from 1947 to 1970. He was deputy in the national parliament from 1947 to 1967, under-secretary in many Italian governments (De Gasperi, Pella, Fanfani, Segni, Leone) and one of the members of Italian delegation in the European Parliament until 1967, when he became member of the first unified Commission of the European communities leaded by the President Jean Rey.

La tesi di dottorato mira ad indagare la formazione e lo sviluppo del concetto di Repubblica nell’ordinamento costituzionale italiano. A tal fine viene presa in considerazione l’innovazione apportata dalla Costituzione repubblicana rispetto all’esperienza dello Stato moderno e si riscontra una forte connessione tra il concetto di Repubblica e la volontà politica di creare, nel secondo dopoguerra, un ordinamento che superi la tradizionale separazione tra Stato e società. Nella vigente Costituzione italiana ciò si traduce nel riconoscimento di un rilievo giuspubblicistico ad un ampio pluralismo sociale e nella creazione di uno Stato-ordinamento comprensivo tanto dello Stato-apparato quanto dello Stato-comunità. Il lavoro prosegue analizzando l’attualità del concetto di Repubblica in un contesto di rapporti sociali profondamente mutati rispetto al secondo dopoguerra ed in cui è il medesimo concetto di Stato ad essere oggetto di tensione. In questa prospettiva la forma repubblicana diviene la principale manifestazione di un principio unitario interno alla Costituzione, principio che viene declinato tanto a livello di ordinamento normativo quanto in relazione ai rapporti tra Stato e società. / The PhD thesis aims to inquire birth and growth of the Republic notion in the Italian constitutional system. The author assesses the innovation of the Italian republican Constitution compared to the whole experience of modern State and points out connections between the notion of Republic and the political will to create, after Second World War, a system which can overcome any distinction between State and society. The Italian Constitution implements this pattern giving a public position to a social pluralism and creating system including the state apparatus and the entire social community. Then, the thesis inquires the nowadays operation of the Republic notion with respect to social changes and state evolution. In this regard, the republican system is the main consequence of a principle of unity provided by the Constitution; this principle acts both in the normative order and in the relations between state and society.

La tesi si ripropone di dare un contributo allo studio della “questione nucleare iraniana”. Partendo da una meticolosa ricostruzione storica del programma nucleare dell’Iran, si affronta il caso in rapporto alle teorie elaborate dai differenti approcci delle Relazioni internazionali per analizzare la proliferazione di armi nucleari. Oltre a testare e comparare le capacità esplicative di queste teorie, vengono sottolineati alcuni fattori utili a comprendere le motivazioni alla base delle decisioni prese dall’Iran in ambito nucleare. In particolare, la tesi approfondisce il ruolo di variabili attinenti il quadro politico interno all’Iran, che sono state spesso sottovalutate in studi precedenti, a favore di condizionamenti strategici esterni al paese. Variabili che permettono di spiegare la continuità e persistenza degli investimenti iraniani in campo nucleare, pur in un contesto politico-strategico mutevole. Nonostante questo, l’approccio dell’intero lavoro rimane comunque incentrato sulla molteplicità delle dimensioni politiche, strategiche e simboliche che devono essere tenute in considerazione per tentare di comprendere le potenziali ambizioni dell’Iran, nonché l'attuale situazione di stallo e indeterminatezza sulle finalità del programma nucleare di questo paese. Nelle conclusioni vengono infine prospettate ipotesi tecnico-negoziali su cui sviluppare future iniziative diplomatiche e di ricerca. / This thesis aims at giving a contribution to the study of the “Iranian nuclear question”. Starting from a detailed historical reconstruction of the nuclear program of Iran, we address this case in connection with several theoretical approaches to International Relations that try to explain the proliferation of nuclear weapons. This analysis allows us to compare and test the explanatory capabilities of these theories and to focus on some leading factors underlying Iranian nuclear decisions. In particular, we highlight the role of domestic variables, which were underestimated in previous studies on this issue, mainly focused on external strategic constraints. These variables are helpful in explaining the continuity and the persistence of the Teheran’s investment in the nuclear field, notwithstanding the many changes affecting the regional political and strategic framework. Besides this aspect, the approach to the entire thesis continues to be focused on the plurality of dimensions that should be considered in trying to understand the potential ambitions of Iran as well as the current stalemate and uncertainty related to the purposes of the nuclear program of this country. The thesis eventually elaborates some perspectives regarding technical and bargaining hypothesis on which to develop future diplomatic initiatives and researches.

Il lavoro di ricerca mira a dimostrare come la Costituzione italiana venga direttamente applicata dai giudici ordinari. Si compie un’analisi dei rapporti tra i giudici ordinari e la Legge fondamentale sin dall'emanazione dello Statuto Albertino e ci si concentra su alcune specifiche questioni in cui si è registrata la diretta applicazione delle norme della Statuto. La tesi mira a dimostrare come, dopo una prima fase di necessario assestamento seguente all’entrata in vigore della Costituzione repubblicana, si cominci a parlare di diretta applicazione della Costituzione nella risoluzione di problematiche inerenti il risarcimento del danno biologico e di come, attraverso il risarcimento del danno esistenziale, i giudici civili abbiano posto in essere un’applicazione a tratti eccessivamente ampia dell’art. 2 della Costituzione; si è cercato, dunque, di individuare eventuali soluzioni a tale problema. Per quanto riguarda il giudizio penale, il lavoro di ricerca, una volta comprovata nel nostro ordinamento l’esistenza di un diritto costituzionale al dissenso alle terapie salvavita, è teso a dimostrare come i giudici penali in tale ambito si siano dimostrati meno propensi ad una piena applicazione delle norme costituzionali; si è cercato di individuarne gli aspetti problematici e si sono ripercorsi i principali orientamenti giurisprudenziali e dottrinali in materia. / The research aims at demonstrating how the Italian Constitution is directly applied by civil and criminal courts. It analyzes the relationship between the courts and the constitutional law since the promulgation of the Albertine Statute (1848), and focuses on a set of specific issues where Statute provisions were directly enforced. With regard to the Republican Constitution, the dissertation seeks to explain that, after an inevitable adjustment period following its first implementation, direct application of the Constitution in the resolution of disputes concerning the compensation of physical and psychological losses has become a discussed topic; and that, through the compensation of existential losses, civil courts have occasionally applied Article 2 of the Constitution too freely and widely. Finally, the dissertation seeks to identify possible solutions to this problem. For what concerns criminal law, the research, first, argues that our legal system includes a constitutional right to refuse life-saving therapies; then, illustrates how criminal courts have been less willing to fully apply constitutional provisions, than their civil counterparts.

"Funzione" è un termine di per sé neutro che si carica di significati diversi a seconda dei sistemi in cui è immerso. Nel diritto è un termine ricco di insidie perchè porta alle matrici stesse dell'ordinamento giuridico. Nel testo si analizza il concetto di funzione da un punto di vista storico-ricostruttivo per giungere alla definizione della funzione in senso obiettivo. Sulla base di tali premesse si spiegano gli istituti del diritto pubblico e le loro trasformazioni con particolare riguardo al mondo dell'amministrazione e alla diversità dei soggetti che oggi lo compongono. / This thesis analyzes the concept of public function with particular regard to administrative world. It starts by an historical point of view and arrives to a definition of function in an objective sense. This concept is used to explain the transformation of contemporary administration.