Ricerc@Sapienza

In many countries of the Western world, we are witnessing the advance of anti-establishment political movements and a steady decline of trust in institutions. Social analysts are called to deepen the reasons of the variability of this phenomenon according to socio-cultural contexts and individual characteristics. The main aim of this contribution is to outline the differences among the EU countries regarding trust in national and international institutions. The concept of trust is declined in three principal dimensions: politics, security and justice.

Alien plants invasion has negative impacts on the structure and functionality of ecosystems. Understanding the determinants of this process is fundamental for addressing environmental issues, such as the water availability in South Africa’s catchments. Both environmental and anthropogenic factors determine the invasion of alien species; however, their relative importance has to be quantified.