Every day, billions of mobile network log data (commonly defined as Call Detailed Records, or CDRs) are generated by cell phones operators. These data provide inspiring insights about human actions and behaviors, which are essentials in the development of context aware appli- cations and services. This potential demand has fostered major research activities in a variety of domains such as social and economic development, urban planning, and health prevention. The major challenge of this thesis is to interpret CDR for human activity recognition, in the light of background knowledge of the CDR data context. Indeed each entry of the CDR is as- sociated with a context, which describes the temporal and spatial location of the user when a particular network data has been generated by his/her mobile devices. Knowing, by leveraging available Web 2.0 data sources, (e.g., Openstreetmap) this research thesis proposes to develop a novel model from combination of logical and statistical reasoning standpoints for enabling human activity inference in qualitative terms. The results aimed at compiling human behavior predictions into sets of classification tasks in the CDRs. Our research results show that Point of Interest (POI)s are a good proxy for predicting the content of human activities in an area. So the model is proven to be effective for predicting the context of human activity, when its total level could be efficiently observed from cell phone data records.

Smart energy city (SEC) development is a component of the urban development initiative smart city, which has been a popular response to the global energy challenge in Europe during the past two decades. SEC development aims to increase the sustainability of urban energy systems and services. Since 2011, SEC development has been supported by the European Commission as part of the Strategic Energy Technology plan (SET-Plan) and through the European Union Programmes for Research and Technological Development (specifically FP7 and Horizon 2020). This, along with the promising vision of SEC development and considerable financial support by the private sector, has encouraged numerous European cities to initiate SEC projects. Successful implementation of these projects at the urban scale is crucial to achievement of urban energy objectives and sustainability of future urban development. The here presented thesis aims to support urban decision-makers towards successful implementation of urban scale smart energy city development in Europe. The study includes three stages. The first stage is dedicated to conceptual analysis. Within this stage, I conceptualized smart city through a keyword analysis of existing literature on the concept. Then, within the context of the smart city concept, I defined SEC development through literature review and expert knowledge elicitation. The second stage is dedicated to empirical investigation. Using the definition of SEC development, I distinguished and investigated 43 previously implemented SEC projects to identify common barriers that hinder successful implementation of SEC development. In addition, I proposed a new multi-dimensional methodology that allows a simultaneous prioritization of barriers against their probability, the level of impact, scale, origin, and relationship with other barriers. The third stage of the thesis is dedicated to learning methodologies that allow efficient transfer of knowledge from the past SEC experiences to the new SEC developments. I introduced the application of two learning methodologies that support decision-makers to predict barriers to the implementation of a new SEC project: case-based learning and decision tree learning. The former predicts barriers based on internal similarities between the new SEC project and the past projects. The latter uses the past projects and creates a predictive model for each barrier based on internal and external project characteristics. These models are later used to predict barriers to a new SEC project. Both methodologies were tested in a new SEC project, named SINFONIA. The conceptual analysis revealed that application of information and communication technologies, the collaboration of multiple stakeholders, integration of multiple urban domains, and sustainability evaluation are the constant characteristics (i.e. principles) of smart city and SEC development. It resulted in, to the best of my knowledge, the first multi-dimensional and comprehensive definition of SEC development, revealing its principles, objectives, domains of intervention, stakeholders, time and spatial dimensions. Furthermore, a list of smart energy solutions in each SEC domain of intervention was provided. The empirical investigation of the past SEC projects resulted in the identification of 35 common barriers to the implementation of SEC development, categorized in policy, administrative, legal, financial, market, environmental, technical, social, and information and awareness dimensions. The barrier prioritization showed that barriers related to collaborative planning, external funding of the project, providing skilled personnel, and fragmented ownership should be the key action priorities for SEC project coordinators. Application of case-based learning methodology resulted in identifying five past SEC projects that were the most similar to the SINFONIA project in terms of project internal characteristics. Investigating the barriers to the similar projects revealed that fragmented ownership is the most probable barrier to implementation of SINFONIA project. Application of the decision trees methodology resulted in generation of 20 barrier models, four of which showed a very good performance in prediction of barriers: lack of values and interest in energy optimization measures, time-consuming requirements by European Commission concerning reporting and accountancy, economic crisis, and local unfavorable regulations for innovative technologies. None of these four barriers were predicted to occur in the SINFONIA project. The application of this method in the SINFONIA showed a higher predicting power when a barrier was absent. The findings of the here presented thesis contribute to successful implementation of SEC development by supporting decision-makers in different phases of SEC projects. The results of the conceptual analysis contribute to a common understanding and foster the dialogue on the concept among various SEC stakeholders, particularly decision-makers and urban planners. The results of the empirical investigation lead to a better comprehension and evaluation of the barriers to the implementation of SEC projects in order to efficiently allocate resources to mitigate barriers. The proposed learning methodologies proved to be promising in helping decision-makers to identify similar projects to a new SEC development and to predict barriers to the implementation of new SEC projects. The thesis concludes that SEC is an outstanding urban development that can make a valuable contribution to the sustainability of urban energy systems. The specific characteristics of SEC development pose new challenges to the future smart and sustainable urban planning. Nevertheless, SEC development brings about unprecedented opportunities for integration and application of advanced quantitative techniques with current urban planning methods. This allows efficient knowledge transfer in not only intra-urban but also inter-urban levels in order to provide a collaborative, integrated and constructive movement towards successful implementation of SEC projects and sustainability of future urban development.

Della proprietà astratta è associata con lo stato, potere e ricchezza nelle società più africane e terreni agricoli di proprietà appartiene agli uomini. Lo scopo di questo studio è di esaminare il legame tra proprietà fondiaria e differenze di genere nei sistemi di possesso della terra. Questo studio esplora l'accesso delle donne alla terra nell'ambito dei sistemi di consueto possesso. Rassegna i principali aspetti del contributo delle donne africane alla produzione alimentare e raccolto in contanti e offre alcuni suggerimenti per migliorare la loro partecipazione e intensificazione nel settore dei piccoli. Inoltre, lo studio esamina come i cambiamenti nella proprietà fondiaria, proprietà, accesso e diritti alla terra come conseguenza di leggi consuete stanno influenzando la produttività dell'agricoltura, sicurezza alimentare e lotta alla povertà. Il dibattito è incentrato sulle preoccupazioni di un'equa distribuzione tra uomini e donne e Guarda le donne rurali come operai agricoli a un livello in cui le disuguaglianze di genere coincidono. I risultati da questo studio illustrano la cultura predominante e le pratiche tradizionali ancora colpiscono le donne, andare a loro discapito a favore degli uomini per quanto riguarda l'ereditarietà e la diretta proprietà di terreni e proprietà in casa. Parole chiave: Equità di genere, Proprietà della terra, Riforma agraria, Sicurezza alimentare. / Landownership is associated with status, power and wealth in most African societies and agricultural land property belongs to men. The aim of this study is to examine the link between land ownership and gender differences in land tenure systems. This study explores women’s access to land under the customary tenure systems. It reviews the major aspects of African women's contribution to food and cash crop production and offers some suggestions to improve their participation and intensification in the smallholder sector. Also, the study examines how the changes in land tenure, ownership, access and rights to land as a consequence of customary laws are affecting agricultural productivity, food security and poverty alleviation. The debate is centred on concerns of equitable distribution among men and women and looks at rural women as agricultural workers at a level where gender inequalities coincide. The findings from this study illustrate the predominant culture and traditional practices still affect women, disadvantaging them in favour of men regarding inheritance and direct ownership of land and property in the household. Keywords: Gender Equity, Land ownership, Land Reform, Food Security.

The thesis deals with the possibilities of visualization of multivariate statistical data. Since this is a very broad area the thesis is divided into four sections, two of which are theoretically and two practically oriented. The first section is devoted to theoretical aspects of data visualization. It contains information about the building blocks of graphs, and how the brain processes graphs in various stages of perception. The second section charts the available chart types that can be used to display data. Selected types of graphs for continuous and discontinuous multidimensional data are described in detail. The third section focuses on available software tools for creating graphs. The section describes several programs, with focus on STATISTICA, R and MS Excel. The knowledge gained in previous chapters was sufficient source of information to perform a graphical analysis of multidimensional continuous and discrete data and using advanced analytical methods in the last section. This analysis is performed separately on the data file with continuous variables and on a data file with discontinuous (categorical) variables.

Questo lavoro studia la distribuzione della dimensione d'impresa sulla base di due datasets. Il primo è l'indagine micro1 di istat, che include tutte le imprese manifatturiere con più di 20 addetti sopravvissute dal 1989 al 1997. Il secondo è il file Cerved riguardante l'universo delle imprese del settore meccanico (atecodk29), dal 1997 al 2002. Lo scopo generale della tesi è quello di espolare la possibilità di trovare nuove regolarità empiriche riguardanti la distribuzione della dimensione d'impresa, sulla base della passata evidenza empirica che attesta la (in)capacità di Lognormale e Pareto di modellare in modo soddisfacente la dimensione d'impresa nell'intero arco dimensionale. Vengono per questo proposti due modelli mai utilizzati prima. Gli stessi vengono poi convalidati su differenti variabili dimensionali e a diversi livelli di aggregazione. La tesi cerca anche di esplicitare al meglio le implicazioni economiche dei modelli parametrici di distribuzione adottati secondo diversi punti di vista. / The present work studies the firm size distribution of Italian manufacturing industries on the basis of two datasets. The first is the Micro1 survey carried out by ISTAT, which recorded all manufacturing firms with 20 employees and more surviving from 1989 to 1997. The second is the Cerved file regarding all firms of the mechanical sector (DK29) from 1997 to 2002. The general aim of this research is to explore the possibility to find new empirical regularities in the size distribution of firms, building on the relevant past evidence about the (in) capacity of the Lognormal and Pareto distribution of satisfactorily modelling the whole size range. Two unused statistical models are proposed and validated on different size proxies and at different levels of data aggregation. The thesis also addresses the economic implications of parametric models of firm size distribution in different aspects.

La presente tesi propone uno studio sulla multivittimizzazione delle banche in Italia. In questo paese nell’ultimo decennio si è concentrato circa il 50% delle rapine europee, delineando una situazione critica in termini di sicurezza e di impatto economico sulle banche. La ricerca empirica prova che il crimine si concentra su di una esigua parte della popolazione e che la vittimizzazione è il più efficace predittore di criminalità: dato un primo episodio, un target tende a subire un altro reato in un breve periodo di tempo. Mentre altre tipologie di reato sono state largamente esplorate, poco è stato fatto riguardo le rapine in banca. Questa tesi vuole colmare questa lacuna analizzando l’universo delle rapine in banca avvenute in Italia tra il 2007 ed il 2009. L’analisi dimostra che in Italia il 5% delle filiali concentra su di sé circa il 45% delle rapine; una volta vittimizzata, infatti, una banca viene esposta al 36% di probabilità di subire un’ulteriore rapina nei sei mesi successivi. Questa concentrazione è determinata dal successo della precedente rapina, che spinge gli stessi rapinatori a tornare(boost effect), ma anche dalle caratteristiche della banca (flag effect), che la espongono all’azione di più criminali. / The present thesis proposes a study on repeated bank robbery in Italy. In the last decade, about 50% of European bank robberies have occurred in this country, drawing a problematic situation in terms of both safety and economic impact on banks. Empirical research proves that crime is concentrated on a small proportion of the population and therefore victimization is the best predictor of crime. While repeat victimization has been studies with regard to several crime types, little attention has been paid to bank robbery. This thesis aims at filling this gap by analyzing the universe of bank robberies occurred in Italy between 2007 and 2009. The study shows that, in Italy, only 5% branches accounts for about 45% of all robberies; once victimized, indeed, a bank is exposed to 36% probabilities to be victimized again within the following six months. This concentration is determined by both the success of prior offence, which drives the repeats by original offenders (boost effect), and the characteristics of banks, which expose them to the action of multiple offenders (flag effect).

In questo studio, attraverso la realizzazione di un’indagine longitudinale basata su dati amministrativi, sono stati ricostruiti i redditi delle famiglie residenti nel comune di Brescia per gli anni 2005-2008, in una prospettiva trasversale e longitudinale, individuando situazioni di disuguaglianza, di disagio e povertà economica di alcune fasce della popolazione. L’indagine longitudinale è stata realizzata mediante il record-linkage tra i dati amministrativi provenienti dall’Anagrafe comunale e quelli fiscali del Sistema Interscambio Anagrafe Tributaria Enti Locali dell’Agenzia delle Entrate (SIATEL) per il comune di Brescia. La peculiarità e l’importanza di questo lavoro risiedono sia nell’utilizzare dati di fonte amministrativa fiscale e anagrafica nella stima sui redditi e povertà delle famiglie, sia nella possibilità di ottenere stime a livello comunale o small-area, ampliando il campo della ricerca sociale sul tema oggetto di studio. L’approccio teorico di riferimento adottato è quello unidimensionale, basato sul reddito, e relativo, in cui la povertà è definita in relazione allo standard di benessere raggiunto dalla popolazione di riferimento nel suo complesso. Pertanto, anziché la soglia di povertà nazionale, che tende a sottostimare la povertà nel nord d’Italia, è stata adottata una soglia di povertà locale, pari al 60% del reddito mediano equivalente delle famiglie residenti. / In this study the incomes of the families residing in the town of Brescia for the years 2005-2008 have been simulated in a cross-section and longitudinal perspective, through the creation of a Panel based on administrative data. The research aimed at identifying situations of inequality, dislocation and economic poverty of certain population groups. The Panel was carried out on the basis of the record-linkage administrative data from Registry Office and ” Informatics’ System of Local Italian Revenue Agency” (SIATEL), for the town of Brescia. The uniqueness and importance of this work is the use of live data in estimating income and family poverty using fiscal and personal data from registry office sources, as well as in the availability of estimates at the municipal level or small-area, thus expanding the social research on the subject of study. The theoretical approach adopted by reference is one-dimensional (based on income) and relative, in which poverty is defined in relation to the standards being achieved by the reference population as a whole. Therefore, instead of the national poverty line, which tends to underestimate poverty in northern Italy, a local poverty threshold was adopted, equal to 60% of equivalised median income of the families residing in the town of Brescia.

L’obiettivo della tesi è ideare uno schema teorico del concetto multidimensionale di rischio territoriale, applicandolo successivamente ad un caso di studio sulle province italiane. Nel primo capitolo si delinea uno schema teorico del concetto di rischio territoriale, utilizzando una lettura del fenomeno di stampo sistemico, secondo cui il rischio è correlato positivamente a fattori di vulnerabilità territoriale e negativamente a fattori di resilienza. Il territorio viene rappresentato nelle tre dimensioni della sostenibilità, quella economica, sociale e ambientale, seguendo un approccio olistico. Nel secondo si applica lo schema teorico ad uno studio sulle province italiane. Si adotta una metodologia di sintesi a passaggi successivi, che prevede l’applicazione di tecniche multivariate. Si giunge ad un sistema di indicatori ed indici sintetici di vulnerabilità e resilienza economica, sociale e ambientale. Nel terzo si giunge agli indici sintetici di vulnerabilità e resilienza territoriale, confrontando metodi di aggregazione differenti. Si individuano così i sistemi locali più a rischio, perchè più vulnerabili e meno dotati di fattori di risposta al cambiamento. Si evidenziano elementi di originalità a livello di disegno teorico, per la trattazione del tema nelle dimensioni distinte Economia, Società e Ambiente, e a livello empirico, per l’utilizzo di metodologie di sintesi ibride. / The aim of the work is to provide a theoretical framework regarding the multidimensional concept of vulnerability of local systems, then applying it to a case study on Italian provinces. The first chapter outlines a theoretical framework of this concept, using a reading of the phenomenon according to a systemic mold, whereby the risk is positively correlated with spatial vulnerability factors and negatively with resilience factors. Region is represented in the three dimensions of sustainability, that is the economic, social and environmental ones, following a holistic approach. The second one applies the theoretical framework for a study on the Italian provinces. We have adopted a method of synthesis by successive steps, which provides the application of multivariate techniques. We arrive at an indicators system and composite indices of economic, social and environmental vulnerability and resilience. In the third one we reach the composite indices of vulnerability and resilience of local systems, comparing different methods of aggregation among themselves. Systems are identified as most at risk, because more vulnerable and less gifted with factors of response to change. Elements of originality are highlighted in terms of theoretical project for the treatment of the theme in the distinct dimensions Economy, Society and Environment, as well as, at empirical level, the usage of hybrid synthesis methods.

Attualmente i prezzi agricoli sono evidenziate in combinazione con i presunti effetti collaterali, come la fame e la malnutrizione nell’Africa sub-sahariana (SSA), tuttavia, oggi, SSA ha circa 47,5 per cento della popolazione rurale in condizioni di povertà e tra il 1990 e il 2005 quando i prezzi dei prodotti alimentari erano stabile e con prezzi bassi l'estrema povertà rurale in SSA è stato circa 64,6 per cento. Abbiamo ipotizzato che la malnutrizione o fame continuano in SSA perché li, la miseria persistono. La riduzione della povertà è l'unico modo per porre fine alla fame in Africa. Altresì per un paese agricolo in SSA – senza significative riserve di risorse minerarie – il modo migliore per risolvere la povertà è attraverso lo sviluppo agricolo. Nel nostro campione, sono nove paesi in SSA - Burundi, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambico, Ruanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia e Zimbabwe – il cosiddetto SSA – 9. Abbiamo utilizzato un modello ricorsivo nel periodo tra 1990 e il 2005. Come risultato si è visto che gli strumenti principali che hanno avuto forte relazione con la riduzione della povertà in SSA - 9 sono alcune implicazioni politiche come; il diritto di proprietà, l'accesso al sistema di crediti, il capitale umano e le infrastrutture. / Nowadays, agricultural prices are highlighted combined with, as alleged collateral effects, hunger and malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, today, SSA has around 47,5 percent of rural population in extreme poverty and between 1990 and 2005 when the food prices was stable and with low prices, extreme poverty in SSA involved around 64.6 percent. We assumed that the undernourishment or starvation continued in SSA because there the misery persisted. Poverty reduction is the only way to the end the hunger in Africa. Also, for an agricultural country in SSA – without significant mineral resources – the best way to solve the problem of poverty is through agricultural development. Our sample are nine countries in SSA – Burundi, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe – the so called SSA – 9. Thus, we built up a recursive model that answered how the agricultural gears in SSA – 9 were moving between 1990 and 2005, as well as assessed how the agriculture could reduce rural poverty. As a result we saw that the main tools that had a strong relation with poverty reduction in SSA – 9 are some policies implications as; property rights, access to the credit system, human capital and infrastructure.

In questa tesi, l’analisi verte su risk-adjusted performance, proprietà statistiche e caratteristiche dei fondi hedge (FH). Nel primo articolo, i risultati relativi al survivorship bias e backfill bias indicano che l’impatto delle distorsioni è diverso a seconda delle strategie. Utilizzando il modello multifattoriale di Fung and Hsieh (2004), l’analisi della performance indica che il 42% dei FH ha ottenuto un rendimento superiore al mercato. Infine, utilizzando dei metodi parametrici e non parametrici, l’analisi della persistenza indica differenti livelli di persistenza a seconda della strategia. Nel secondo articolo, vengono analizzati i fondi di fondi hedge (FOHFs). I risultati sono particolarmente interessanti. In primo luogo, i FOHFs e le sotto strategie hanno generato un excess return positivo; inoltre l’alfa ottenuto attraverso il modello a 7 fattori di Fung and Hsieh (2004) risulta elevato. In secondo luogo, i FOHFs e le sotto strategie hanno un rendimento inferiore a quello dell’indice dei FH. In terzo luogo, le correlazioni tra gli indici dei FOHFs e l’indice azionario sono inferiori rispetto alle correlazioni tra l’indice dei FH e gli indici azionari. Infine, l’indice dei FH e quelli dei FOHFs sono positivamente correlati con l’indice azionario quando il mercato tende al ribasso, ma risultano non correlati con l’indice azionario quando il mercato tende al rialzo. Rispetto all’indice dei FH, gli indici dei FOHFs hanno una correlazione minore con gli indici azionari in entrambe le fasi del mercato, suggerendo che i FOHFs forniscono benefici maggiori in termini di diversificazione rispetto ai fondi hedge puri. / In this thesis, I examine the risk-adjusted performance, statistical properties and fund characteristics of hedge fund investments. In Essay One, results of survivorship bias and backfill bias by investment styles indicate that biases are different across styles. Using a multi-factor model of Fung and Hsieh (2004), the analysis of performance indicates that 42% of the hedge funds significantly outperformed the market. Finally, using parametric and non-parametric methods, the analysis of persistence indicates different degree of persistence depending on the hedge fund strategy. In Essay Two, I analyse fund of hedge funds (FOHFs). I find several interesting results. First, FOHFs and the sub-strategies earn positive excess returns and a high Fung and Hsieh 7-factor alpha. Second, FOHFs and the sub-strategies underperform the hedge fund index (HFI). Third, the correlations between FOHF indices and equity index are lower than correlations between HFI and equity indices. Finally, hedge funds and FOHFs are positively correlated with the equity index in the bear markets but uncorrelated with the equity index in the bull markets. Compared to HFI, FOHF indices have lower correlation with equity index in both bull and bear markets, indicating that FOHFs provide better diversification benefits than individual hedge funds.