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National
Research
Council

Institute for Research
on Population
and Social Policies

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National
Research
Council

Institute for Research
on Population
and Social Policies

Category: Active projects

Illicit labour and the global photovoltaic industry

Illicit Labour and the Photovoltaic Industry (ERC)

Funded by the European Research Council (ERC), the Illicit Labour project involves an international consortium composed of the National Research Council and Queen Mary University of London. The project, coordinated by Dr. Carlo Inverardi-Ferri, introduces a study on the links between climate change mitigation and illicit economies, and the related implications for ecological governance. It investigates the production networks of the photovoltaic industry to reveal the dark side of the green energy sector in various geographical sites (China, Ghana, and India). In doing so, it advances new theoretical perspectives on risk, vulnerability, and mitigation, considering the interaction between the green energy sector and the illicit economy.

The research focuses on several fundamental questions:

  • How do we explain the economic, political, and cultural processes that link illicit labour and ecological governance?
  • What labour regimes in extraction and production processes support the production of solar panels?
  • How do informal energy markets function?
  • What social and environmental challenges emerge from the end of the life cycle of photovoltaic modules?
  • And finally, how can this analysis reveal new ways to provide clean and affordable energy for all?

Climate change mitigation and illicit labour are two significant challenges of modern times, whose interconnection raises growing concerns for society, such as energy insecurity, toxic waste production, and labour exploitation. However, this relationship has surprisingly received limited systematic attention in labour studies. Through an analysis of the photovoltaic industry, a sector of relevance for climate change mitigation, “Illicit Labour” sheds light on those actors, practices, and processes operating in the shadows of sustainable development.

IRPPS Participants

Carlo Inverardi-Ferri - Principal Investigator
Anwesha Aditi
Julian Lovreglio
Riccardo Martinelli
Other GLOBAT projects

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AI4Debunk

AI4Debunk

AI4Debunk aims to develop four human-centered AI interfaces to provide citizens with a comprehensive set of fact-checking resources to navigate the digital media landscape more consciously and make informed decisions.

Funded by the European Union (EU) through the Horizon Europe program, the project brings together an interdisciplinary consortium of 13 partner institutions from eight countries: University of Latvia (Latvia) – project coordinator, EURACTIV, Pilot4DEV, University of Mons (Belgium), Internews Ukraine (Ukraine), CNR, University of Florence (Italy), Barcelona Supercomputing Center (Spain), DOTSOFT (Greece), University of Galway, F6S Innovation (Ireland), Utrecht University of Applied Sciences, INNoVaTiVe POWER (Netherlands)

The impacts

In recent years, the proliferation of disinformation has become a major issue throughout Europe. The pervasive use of the Internet and social media has facilitated the spread of fake news and propaganda, heavily influencing public opinion, as demonstrated during the Covid-19 pandemic and, more recently, the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In this context, a synergistic combination of human efforts and sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) tools is the only sustainable way to effectively combat the “infodemic” and the battle of narratives we are facing.

By promoting transparency, accuracy, and responsible engagement with online platforms, AI4Debunk strives to foster critical thinking and strengthen the fabric of civil society.

Website

Participants

Alessia D'Andrea - principal investigator
Arianna D'Ulizia -co-principal investigator
Other SITA projects

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foresTEEN

Foresteen

ForesTEEN aims to innovate the cultural offering for new generations through a participatory observation process that experiments with different listening settings. The goal is to understand how exchange with adolescents can stimulate “transgenerational dialogue,” which can serve as a driver of innovation.

ForesTEEN is a European cooperation project for research and innovation in audience development models for young adult audiences, defined as young men and women between the ages of 15 and 25, running from November 15, 2023, to November 14, 2027.

Along with CNR-IRPPS, the project involves 9 other European partners:

 

 

Website

Participants

Alessia D'Andrea - lead
Arianna D'Ulizia - co-lead
Other SITA projects

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HealthyW8

HealthyW8

HealthyW8 aims to prevent obesity by adopting a multidisciplinary approach that combines interventions focused on diet, physical activity, and psycho-emotional aspects.

The project brings together a consortium of 24 public and private partners from nine European countries and is funded by the Horizon Europe Framework Programme.

The impacts

The project considers obesity as a multifactorial phenomenon and takes into account individual, interpersonal, organizational, community factors, and public policy measures.

HealthyW8 aims to encourage healthier lifestyles from the early stages of life, decreasing the prevalence of obesity and reducing healthcare costs.

The interventions and digital solutions will enable healthcare providers to personalize services offered to individuals without high infrastructure and administrative costs.

The project emphasizes improving health literacy through goal personalization and nudging/gamification effects for motivation, with HDT support to ensure lasting and sustainable lifestyle changes.

HealthyW8 aims to implement a holistic approach to obesity prevention, using new tools for routine screening of overweight/obesity risks in daily practice. This will lead to a reduction in the public health burden and healthcare costs, as well as a potential increase in life expectancy.

Website

Participants

Arianna D'Ulizia -principal investigator
Alessia D'Andrea -co-principal investigator
Other SITA projects

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ACEINPOS

ACE – Active Citizenship in Europe Roma participation against discrimination. Building trust between Roma communities and civil society

The European ACE project aims to contribute to the effective implementation of the principles of non-discrimination and the fight against anti-Gypsyism—or, more accurately, Romaphobia—by addressing political participation, promoting active citizenship, and building trust between Roma communities and municipalities in selected areas of Italy, Slovenia, and Spain. Following the “for Roma with Roma” approach, ACE aims to strengthen the involvement of Roma communities in civil society activism and civic organizations, which is currently limited, particularly at the grassroots level, due to top-down political interventions that have hindered the inclusion process in Italy and Spain. Furthermore, the lack of adequate social capital has fueled a sense of mistrust and detachment, making it difficult to promote active citizenship. In Slovenia, where active Roma participation is mandated by law, the project will work toward greater generational and gender turnover in positions of political power.
Through surveys and focus groups, the project will attempt to lead the Roma out of a state of mistrust by embracing their past as a European history, a concept also affirmed in European Parliament resolution A3-0124/94, which invites member states to recognize “the language and other aspects of Roma and Sinti culture as an integral part of the European cultural heritage.”
Project activities will take place in Laterza, Ginosa, Lanciano, San Vito Chietino (IT), Dobrovnik (SI), El Prat de Llobregat, and Sant Boi (SP). Participants will include members of the Roma communities involved in the project, especially young people, as well as operators, officials, and managers from the relevant municipalities and members of civil society who can influence the debate and public opinion. This takes into account that the European Commission has rewritten its frameworks toward a three-point approach: “Equality, inclusion and participation.” With the necessary adaptations, this new working model will be implemented in all project countries: Italy, Slovenia, and Spain https://welfare.irpps.cnr.it/b/luc-sdn-ugt-6va

Expected Results

  • Promote trust and empower local Roma communities by providing representatives they can trust. We will work to create sustainable solutions to promote inclusion, combat discriminatory behavior, and increase participation in social life.
  • Motivate Roma communities to feel like an effective part of the Municipality and encourage them toward greater participation to bring forward community requests and mediate them with the administration. Furthermore, increase knowledge and awareness of prejudices and stereotypes, particularly among policymakers, media professionals, and institutions.
  • Raise the level of trust between the local Roma population and administrators, impacting community development at the local level by involving all stakeholders in the difficult but fruitful process of political inclusion for Roma men and women as an important step toward holistic inclusion and participation in society at large.

EU Program, Funding & Duration

  • Program: CERV - Citizenship, Equality, Rights and Values
  • Axis 3: Implementation of non-discrimination principles and the fight against directed political participation, promotion of active citizenship
  • Type of activity: Action to promote Roma activism and participation
  • Co-financing: European Commission, DG Justice & Consumers (€379,057.00)
  • Duration: 24 months (January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2024)

Consortium

In line with the aforementioned new European approach “with Roma for Roma,” the ACE Consortium includes CNR-IRPPS as coordinator, the communication and research company Ares 2.0, and three renowned European Roma Associations:

  • Ares s.r.l. (IT)
  • Them Romanò (IT)
  • Zveva Romov Slovenije (SI)
  • Asociation Multicultural Nakeramos (SP)

Associated partners

  • UCRI Union of Romanes Communities in Italy (IT)
  • Municipality of Laterza (IT)
  • Municipality of Ginosa (IT)
  • Municipality of Lanciano (IT)
  • Municipality of San Vito Chietino (IT)
  • Municipality of Dobrovnik (SI)
  • Municipality of Sant Boi de Llobregat (SP)
  • Municipality of El Prat de Llobregat (SP)

IRPPS Participants

Sandro Turcio - Manager
Ivonne Citarella (Administrative Officer)
Enrico Mascilli Migliorini (Research Fellow)
Michele Falivene (Technologist)
Michele Falivene (Technologist)
Natascia Rinaldi (Contract Administrative Assistant)
Francesco Iannone (Technical Assistant)
Other INPOS projects

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METROmosaic

METROmosaic - THE NEW METROPOLITAN MOSAIC

The METROmosaic project is funded under the 2021 Call “Social and Human Sciences Research for a Changing Society” of the CARIPLO Foundation and is part of the strategic objective “Demographic challenges: experimenting with new responses for a changing society“.

The METROmosaic project has a duration of 30 months and involves 4 research units: CNR-IRPPS, Politecnico di Milano (PI Alessandro Coppola), Sapienza University of Rome and University of Milano-Bicocca.

METROmosaic aims to explore the main current and emerging drivers and patterns of household residential mobility and their complex impacts on diversity, inequality, and socio-spatial cohesion at various scales and in a variety of local contexts within the urban regions of Milan and Rome.

METROmosaic intends to bridge a knowledge gap regarding the phenomenon of residential mobility—or intra-urban mobility—by allowing for:

(i) reconstructing a framework of the phenomenon’s evolution over the last twenty years in the urban areas of Rome and Milan;
(ii) investigating the drivers of residential choices at macro, meso, and micro levels;
(iii) studying the social and demographic effects of residential mobility at the local level;
(iv) considering future scenarios of residential mobility, also in light of the pandemic’s effects on household settlement attitudes.
These aspects are analyzed by considering elements that characterize “metropolitan mosaics” in different urban regions, such as differences in residential mobility patterns and determinants dictated by ethnicity.

The CNR-IRPPS research unit is specifically engaged in the following activities:

– systematic review of the literature on the topic of “intra-urban residential mobility”;
– collection, organization, and harmonization of stock and flow registry databases related to the urban regions of Rome and Milan;
– analysis and identification of settlement and residential mobility patterns in the two urban regions;
– definition of a taxonomy of neighborhoods/municipalities in the two urban regions based on residential mobility trends and the socioeconomic characteristics of the areas;
– planning and organization of a survey on the motivations for residential mobility among residents in the two urban regions;
– planning, organization, and implementation of a qualitative study on the decision-making processes of the population with a migratory background in Rome.

Project website

Participants

Massimiliano Crisci - head
Maria Girolama Caruso
Loredana Cerbara
Stefano degli Uberti
Angela Paparusso
Andrea Pelliccia
Frank Heins
Michele Santurro (Research Fellow)
Other POPMIG projects

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“Libera la terra” – A Project Against Labor Exploitation in Agriculture in Capitanata

"Libera la terra" – A Project Against Labor Exploitation in Agriculture in Capitanata

Launched in May 2020, the “Libera la terra” project, funded by the Puglia Region and coordinated by ANOLF Foggia, aims to bring together employer organizations, trade unions, and third-sector organizations around the same table with the objective of designing concrete and shared proposals to combat agricultural exploitation and illegal labor recruitment (caporalato) in Capitanata. The Capitanata area, in the province of Foggia, is well known as one of the main centers for tomato harvesting and production in Italy; this productive effort relies on farmworkers—many of whom are immigrants from Eastern Europe and sub-Saharan Africa—who live in actual “ghettos” (one example is the Ghetto of Rignano Garganico) under unacceptable housing and sanitary conditions. Added to this is the precariousness of legal status, widespread irregularity in the agricultural labor market (with total or partial absence of legally regulated employment contracts), and the presence of “caporali” who recruit workers on a daily basis and handle their transportation to the fields. In this complex context, agricultural enterprises, employer and trade union associations, and third-sector organizations operate in a fragmented manner and often with conflicting interests and objectives. Hence the need, which the project aims to address, to bring these actors together to develop common solutions. Project partners include: FAI Puglia, Coop. Arcobaleno Foggia, Iscos Puglia, Anolf Foggia, FAI Foggia, CIA Agricoltori Italiani Provincia Capitanata, Coldiretti, Ciala Ebat Foggia, and Confagricoltura Foggia.
CNR-IRPPS participates in the project as a partner, fulfilling a research and evaluation role. The work is led by Dr. Lucio Pisacane and supported by Dr. Serena Tagliacozzo, and focuses on two main activities:
1. Collection of materials and information resources on the topic of agricultural labor exploitation and illegal labor recruitment in Southern Italy, with specific attention to Capitanata;
2. Interviews with project partners and other key stakeholders in order to explore the effectiveness of initiatives implemented in recent years to combat the phenomenon and their impact on the agricultural sector in Capitanata.
These activities aim to gather information regarding best practices and areas for improvement, potentially triggering a process of reflection on the dynamics and mechanisms underlying the phenomenon and supporting the development of shared proposals.

Official project website:

https://partecipazione.regione.puglia.it/processes/libera-la-terra

Participants

Lucio Pisacane - Principal Investigator
Serena Tagliacozzo
Other COSE Projects

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Globalization, Research, and Innovation

GLOBALIZATION, RESEARCH, AND INNOVATION

The word globalization has become one of the most commonly used terms in the social sciences. To what extent is it simply a trend or a new economic, political, and social phenomenon? Building on research conducted by IRPPS scholars in recent years, this research area addresses three different aspects of globalization: in economy, technology, and politics. Economic globalization has forcefully invaded daily life. New information technologies are likely the factor that has enabled and facilitated globalization in other economic, social, and cultural dimensions. Which innovations will allow for the fostering of economic development? To what extent is globalization also changing political life? Are international organizations currently able to govern the processes of change? Particular attention will be paid to the possibility of achieving a democratization of globalization through the reform of international organizations.

Recent Projects:

• The Research Unit actively participated in the Report on research and innovation in Italy. Analysis and data on science and technology policy, National Research Council, Rome, June 2018.

• The project on international criminal justice concluded with the publication of the volume by Daniele Archibugi & Alice Pease, Delitto e castigo nella società globale. Crimini e processi internazionali (Castelvecchi, Rome, 2017), also available in English under the title Crime and Global Justice. The Dynamics of International Punishment (Polity Press, Cambridge, 2018). The volume was presented and discussed, among other venues, at the Senate Library, Rome (2018-02-01), University College London (2018-02-27), the London School of Economics and Political Science (2018-02-28), the City University of New York (2018-04-09), Birkbeck College, University of London (2018-05-02), and Luiss University of Rome (2018-05-17).

• The Citi-rights project concluded with the publication of the volume edited by Daniele Archibugi & Ali Emre Benli, Claiming Citizenship Rights in Europe. Emerging Challenges and Political Agents (Routledge, London, 2018).

• The research area on investment in innovation in Europe generated a Working Paper Investment in innovation for European recovery: a public policy priority by Daniele Archibugi, Andrea Filippetti, and Marion Frenz 2018, (IRPPS Working papers 110/2018).

Participants

Daniele Archibugi - head
Other GLOBAT projects

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Welfare and Ergonomics

WELFARE AND ERGONOMICS

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Social farming between new and old social work practices, theoretical perspectives, and policy innovations
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Call for Papers – Welfare and Digital: Opportunities, Challenges, and Innovations – WeE 1/2026
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Investing in the social reintegration of incarcerated individuals
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Call for Papers – Rethinking Welfare to Prevent and Combat Gender-Based Violence – Welfare e Ergonomia
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The journal Welfare & Ergonomics was established within the Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies of the National Research Council, is published by Franco Angeli editore, and is funded by the CNR Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, Cultural Heritage.

Since November 18, 2022, ANVUR has recognized it as a Class A scientific journal for Area 14 (Political and Social Sciences).

The journal, published in print and digital formats on a semi-annual basis, is monographic in nature and, since 2020, also includes an open section to provide space for innovative and interesting works related to the ongoing scientific debate or the current historical moment. Since its inception in 2015, Welfare & Ergonomia has adopted double-blind peer review. The IRPPS mission guides the choice of topics, which is shared with the journal’s governing bodies.

The journal was founded in 2015 by Antonella Ciocia, who served as its director until 2024. Starting in 2019, following the collaboration between the CNR and the University, the directorship has been shared with Mara Tognetti Bordogna (University of Milan). In 2024, for IRPPS, the directorship passed to Pietro Demurtas and Anna Milione.

Co-directors: Pietro Demurtas (CNR-IRPPS, Rome), Anna Milione (CNR-IRPPS, Salerno), Mara Tognetti Bordogna (University of Milan).

Advisory Board: Sveva Avveduto (CNR-IRPPS, Rome), Franca Bimbi (University of Padua), Maurizio Bonolis (Sapienza University of Rome), Fabio Folgheraiter (Catholic University of Milan), Claudio Mustacchi (SUPSI, Lugano, CH), Paolo Zurla (University of Bologna).

Scientific Committee: Maria Carmela Agodi (University of Naples Federico II), Emily Quinn Ahonen (University of Utah School of Medicine, USA), Maurizio Ambrosini (University of Milan), Eduardo Barberis (University of Urbino), Ignazia Bartholini (University of Palermo), Paola Borgna (University of Turin), Elena Cabiati (Catholic University of Milan), Antonella Ciocia (CNR-IRPPS, Rome), Francesca Coin (Lancaster University, UK), Enzo Colombo (University of Milan), Teresa Consoli (University of Catania), Fiorenza Deriu (Sapienza University of Rome), Paola Devivo (University of Naples Federico II), Annie Dussuet (University of Nantes, FR), Maria Angels Escrivà Chordà (University of Huelva, ES), Mercedes Gori (CNR-IFC, Rome), Daniela Luzi (CNR-IRPPS, Rome), Franca Maino (University of Milan), Silvia Mattoni (CNR, Rome), Antonio Maturo (University of Bologna), Carla Moretti (Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona), Stefano Neri (University of Milan), Mariella Nocenzi (Sapienza University of Rome), Giampaolo Nuvolati (University of Milano-Bicocca), Marco Omizzolo (Sapienza University of Rome), Fabrizio Pecoraro (CNR-IRPPS, Rome), Annalisa Pitino (CNR-IFC, Rome), Makoto Sekimura (Hiroshima City University, JP), Barbara Sonzogni (Sapienza University of Rome), Andrés Spognardi (University of Coimbra), Jean-Pierre Tabin (Haute école de travail et de la santé EESP, Lausanne, CH), Marco Terraneo (University of Milano-Bicocca), Tiziana Tesauro (CNR-IRPPS, Rome), Maria Angela Toffanin (CNR, Rome), Stefano Tomelleri (University of Bergamo), Valentina Tudisca (CNR, Rome), Adriana Valente (CNR-IRPPS, Rome), Roberto Vignera (University of Catania), Tommaso Vitale (Sciences-Po, Paris, FR), Ionela Vlase (Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, RO), Darja Zavirsek (University of Ljubljana, SI), Irena Zemaitaityte (Institute of Education and Social Work, Vilnius, LT).

Editorial Board: Azzurra Malgieri (CNR-IRPPS, Rome), Alfonso Lara Montero (European Social Network, Brussels, BE), Claudia Pennacchiotti (CNR-IRPPS, Rome), Valeria Quaglia (University of Macerata), Francesca Alice Vianello (University of Padua).

Editorial Staff: Antonietta Bellisari (Head), Maria Bellocco (Secretariat), Vincenzo Bisogno (Head of SEO technical support), Cristiana Crescimbene (Head of Open Journal System-OJS), Sabrina Soldati (Head of relations with editors and authors), Monia Torre (Head of communications), Evelina Carmen Sabatella and Valentina Tudisca (Heads of translation review).

Contacts 

Maria Eugenia Bellocco, IRPPS-CNR, via Palestro, 32 – 00185 Rome; tel. 06 492724 283; welfare.ergonomia@irpps.cnr.it.

CNR-DSU Website
FRANCOANGELI Website

Latest issues

Call for papers

IRPPS Management

Anna Milione
Pietro Demurtas

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INVFactor

INVFactor

INVFactor: You’re a Genius Too! is a CNR-IRPPS project dedicated to “young inventors” with the aim of channeling, stimulating, and enhancing the insights and creative energies acquired during school education by Italian boys and girls. The initiative was implemented in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016, receiving widespread participation from Italian secondary schools and producing a strong media impact. The 2017 edition of INVFactor is funded by the European Commission.

Abstract:

To provide visibility and enhance inventions created in the school environment by young people; to raise awareness among young people to pursue scientific careers; to reduce the influence of social stereotypes on the scientific world and on scientists.

Participants

Antonio Tintori - principal investigator
Other POGES Projects

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