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The aim of the paper is to analyse the features of the digital labour connected with the so-called platform economy. Many platform-based business models rely on a new composition of capital capable of capturing personal information and transforming it into big data. Starting with the example of the Facebook business model, we explain the valorisation process at the core of platform capitalism, stressing the relevance of digital labour, to clarify the crucial distinction between labour and work. Our analysis differs from Fuchs and Sevignani’s thesis about digital work and digital labour and seems consistent with the idea that Facebook extracts a rent from the information produced by the free labour of its users.

Abstract It is often argued that policies designed to protect the environment may harm economic growth. Moreover, if introduced unilaterally by a given country, they may reduce the competitiveness of domestic firms. These arguments are generally based on the assumption that environmental protection has to be achieved through the introduction of emission charges (e.g. a carbon tax). However, three issues need to be raised: first, the tax is not the only policy instrument-and is not the most efficient one-that can be used to reduce polluting emissions; secondly, even when a tax policy is implemented, it is important to assess the feedback effects induced by recycling the tax revenue; thirdly, and most importantly, the role of technical progress cannot be neglected. Therefore, there may exist a policy mix that provides firms with the correct incentives to adopt energy-saving technologies and to invest in environment-friendly R & D. The first two issues have partly been explored both in the theoretical and empirical literature. The third issue, i.e. the role of incentives to technical progress, still lacks adequate quantitative assessment. This is why a new model has been developed which endogenizes technical progress and its effects and feedbacks on economic, energy and environmental variables. Using WARM, an econometric general equilibrium model for the European Union and for each member country, this paper presents simulation results up to 2015 of the effects of some industrial-environmental policies which are aimed at protecting the environment without necessarily damaging competitiveness and economic growth. The results show that policies that stimulate environmental R & D, technological innovation and diffusion may provide firms with the correct incentives to avoid damaging the environment, while preserving their competitiveness in the market. Moreover, such a policy, based both on R & D subsidies and on innovation incentives, may not worsen the public-sector budget balance, as a result of the positive effects on economic growth.

This paper measures the ecological performance and reference carbon taxes of 12 Commonwealth of Independent States between 1993 and 2008. I adapted an ecologist’s model into widely used non-parametric directional distance functions approach. On average, countries perform fairly well: eco-efficiency is around 87 %. Enhancing energy consumption would lead to further reductions in CO2 emissions. I find that there was a relative decoupling of GDP from emissions growth. The estimated shadow price of carbon (mean of US$74.37/tCO2) is reasonable and falls into a range proposed by climate scientists. The richer countries had lower shadow prices with smaller range compared to less affluent ones. Overall, given decoupling, the introduction of revenue-neutral carbon tax could have certain merits.

The latest economic and environmental changes together with the development of technology, fostered interest in 'smart cities' and smart city product-service system (SCPSS): bundle of products and services aimed at fuelling sustainable economic growth with a wise management of resources. Since budget constraint prevents a massive implementation of all the possible SCPSS, this paper expands the engineering value assessment (EVA) method and adopt it to assess and prioritise SCPSS from three perspectives: 1) the municipality; 2) the citizens; 3) other stakeholders. EVA method is based on two steps, and for each of them proposes a MCDM method. The contribution of this study is twofold: first, it complements the EVA method with the definition of specific evaluation criteria for external stakeholder that play a crucial role into the smart city paradigm; second, it describes the application of the method for the selection and prioritisation of SCPSS in Bergamo.

Cities of the future will be increasingly populated but still are not smart or energetically ready and cities must be planned and built only on the basis of algorithms, but should be a dynamic entity, resilient and sustainable. Africa’s urban population is growing much faster than in Europe and is expected to surpass the rural population by 2050, when city will increase to 62% [1] and even today about 30% of citizens have no access to electricity or heating fuels. [2] The new global sustainable development goals has set as a target [3] universal access to affordable, reliable energy, and sustainable for 2030 [4]. In the implementation of Smart Cities, Africa must not be left behind: promote fair, resilient and sustainable energy systems, responsible energy industries and access for the poor to clean energy, efficient and affordable services, must be a priority also for the European Community. Access to green energy and electricity, is crucial for reducing poverty and driving sustainable economic development, it is necessary an innovative and long-term sustainable approach to design energy services to meet the needs of people living in energy poverty and not only. Africa will be “the next big market” due to the rapid growth of emerging economies. Smart cities in Africa will be a challenge for the energy supply, use of renewable sources, a better quality of life, reduced energy consumption, less environmental impact. The key elements to achieve sustainability in developing countries will be the introduction of smart grids, smart metering, the Internet of Things (IoT), dissemination of information and communication technology (ICT): a new vision in which the citizen becomes a hub, being both consumer and producer of green energy, renewable energy spread widely in the area (solar, hydro, wind), through integration in smart grid. This paper aims to be a starting point for decision makers and for future research, highlighting how the Smart City, pose greater opportunity for developing countries like Africa, through new technologies already widely spread on the territory, jointly with the redistribution and efficient use of alternative energy sources.

An increasing number of textile firms are adopting sustainability strategies for achieving long-term competitive advantage. In this paper, a new decision-making process for the textile sector, exploiting the Organisational Life Cycle Assessment methodology, is proposed. It provides a management system able to support companies in monitoring and evaluating environmental performances with a dynamic perspective and identify which activity and/or mechanical plant needs to be improved or changed in order to reduce the environmental impact, enabling cost savings, and at the same time, developing the business case for sustainability. In particular, for each Organisational Life Cycle Assessment phase, an operational tool was established. The tools were developed both by reviewing specific literature and by conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews in six textile companies. Across firms, informants included the Managing Director, the Plant Manager, shop floor supervisors and workers, and representatives from Corporate Social Responsibility Committee, Manufacturing, Quality, and Accounting. Additionally, direct observation (e.g., plant tours) was also used as data collection method. A case study of a spinning company reveals the potential benefits of this decision-making process.

Abstract The employment ‘double dividend hypothesis’ suggests that an appropriately designed fiscal reform, in which emission charges are used to subsidize employers' social security contributions, may realize (at least) two relevant policy goals: a better quality of the environment and, at the same time, an increase in employment levels. This paper uses a newly developed econometric general equilibrium model for the European Union as well as for each member country and presents simulation results up to the year 2010 of the effects of a European carbon tax the revenues from which are recycled to reduce employers' social security contributions. The results show that recycling carbon tax revenues may provide an ‘employment double dividend’ only in the short run.

This work investigates how sustainable supply chain management develops within a company and evolves from internal to external practices. Specifically, the relationships among sustainable process management (internal practices), sustainable supply management (external practices), customer pressure and innovativeness are elaborated in a conceptual model, which is tested using a survey approach. Partial least squares (PLS) methodology is applied to data collected from a sample of 77 Italian manufacturing firms. Our results highlight that customer pressure and innovativeness positively and significantly affect SPM. We also observe that SPM fully mediates the relationships between such factors and SSM. Finally, innovativeness negatively and significantly moderates the effect customer pressure has on SPM. This study is relevant because it shows what driving and enabling factors influence the development of SSM, providing guidance for companies that wish to achieve further social and environmental improvements in their supply chains.