As geopolitical conflicts escalate and global value chains restructure, Mediterranean countries can play a crucial role in connecting opposing blocs, serving as trade and investment bridges. This policy brief examines the strategic position of Mediterranean countries, analyzing their trade routes, key partners, and preferred industries. The findings suggest that Mediterranean nations could help maintain the resilience of global value chains in a polarized global economy and foster stronger re…

This study explores the impact of the Belt and Road initiative (BRI) on the dynamics of trade between China and the Mediterranean countries analysing the trade potential before and after the implementation of the BRI. Using an augmented gravity model and panel data from 2003 to 2020, we conclude that there is a complex and imbalanced pattern of trade between China and the Mediterranean region and trade potential exploitation is strongly asymmetric across countries. By diversifying China’s exp…

In 2025, the crises in Palestine and Sudan – though different in history and visibility – reveal an already emerging trend: the normalisation of instability and the return of military unilateralism, accompanied by a weakening of multilateralism and international law. Both are marked by humanitarian catastrophes and large-scale violence against civilians. The two crises have significant regional repercussions: the Israel–Hamas conflict has rapidly drawn in Lebanon, the occupied West Bank, Yemen/…

The Mediterranean is undergoing a profound geoeconomic realignment that reshapes the balance of power between its shores. While Southern Europe faces long-term stagnation exacerbated by demographic decline and structural rigidities, the economies of the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean, despite political and financial fragilities, are becoming increasingly dynamic, leveraging energy resources, infrastructural corridors, and youthful human capital. The region has become a laboratory of asymm…

In Italy, a country with one of the highest life expectancies in the world, physical inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle are among the main modifiable risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases. In particular, childhood obesity has reached critical levels, with a national average of over 10% among school-age children. The Ministry of Health recommends at least one hour of physical activity per day for all children. EDDAI – Elementari: ogni Dì Divertiamoci con Attività fisica 1 ora – is…

The English version of the manual, published in March 2026 in an expanded edition, is an update of the volume published in 2024 with the addition of two appendices that are part of the institutional series of Policy Briefs of the Department of Social sciences and humanities, cultural heritage (DSU) of the CNR. This new edition collects the salient aspects of "universal design", starting from the concept of how individuals function and arriving at the functioning of cultural venues, and presents …

The India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) represents a transformative infrastructure initiative linking India to Europe via the Gulf, offering a strategic alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. With the Mediterranean serving as its critical junction, IMEC promises to reduce shipping times by up to 40%, integrate green hydrogen pipelines and digital infrastructure, and reshape Eurasian connectivity. However, the corridor’s potential is imperiled by escalating regional con…

This inaugural issue has been called Issue 0 because it includes contributions from the researchers on the History Briefs Scientific Committee, who are affiliated with various institutes within the Department of Social sciences and humanities, cultural heritage (DSU) of the National Research Council (CNR). Issue 0 seeks to express the plurality of visions, methods, and perspectives on history in its various forms (philosophy, philology, archaeology and linguistics, economics), as a guiding princ…

The Mediterranean is emerging as a highly strategic region in the global geoeconomics of energy, characterised by structural asymmetries in dependence on fossil fuels, in the development of renewable energy sources, and in geopolitical positioning. This policy brief analyses the energy profile of MENA countries and Mediterranean Europe, highlighting how the energy transition is uneven across the region and how it requires targeted policies capable of fostering dialogue between public and private…

This volume brings together contributions from over 150 participants at the twenty-seventh biennial conference of the EAFE (https://www.eafe-fish.eu/). The work analyzes the economic dynamics of the sector amidst environmental changes and regulatory constraints. The contributions delve into the implementation of the CFP and Maritime Spatial Planning, examining the challenges posed by biodiversity, decarbonization, and digitalization. The volume also explores the role of fisheries and aquaculture…

This paper introduces a novel theory of tax evasion, suggesting that the optimal decision to evade taxes is influenced by agents’ portfolio technologies. The theory argues that evading taxes involves the use of specific production technologies (“hidden technologies”) with returns that differ from those of technologies that require tax compliance (“visible technologies”). As technological progress affects the gap and returns between these types of production technologies, the optimal level of tax…

We study the effect of a tax rebate on tax evasion, in a third – degree price discrimination framework. In such a context, the monopolist contracts with the buyers a price discount, in exchange for not issuing the transaction receipt, hiding sales revenues from tax authority. Buyers in the economy are heterogeneous only in the honesty or tax morale, and keeping the purchase receipt, they are eligible for a tax rebate. We show that a price discrimination strategy will always lead to a reduction i…