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Instituto Ricerche Economiche E Sociali (IRES) / Institute for Economic and Social Research
- Address :
- Via di Santa Teresa, 23
- 00198 Roma
-
Italy
- Contact person :
- Salvo Leonardi
- Phone: +390685797215
- Fax: nn
- Email:s.leonardi@ires.it
- Website:http://www.ires.it/
Short description
IRES - Institute for Economic and Social Research - is a non-profit association founded by CGIL in 1979, following an initiative by influential and prestigious leaders such as Bruno Trentin, Giuliano Amato, Vittorio Foa. The institute’s main task is to stimulate, develop and conduct research supporting and strengthening the trade union movement. Besides providing expert advice for trade union organisations, the Institute has forged over time a network of relations and partnerships with domestic and international universities, agencies and institutions, defining for itself a role as a liaison between trade unions and academia. By fully implementing a strictly interdisciplinary methodology, IRES combines economic and sociological research with studies conducted in the areas of labour law and industrial relations, privileging a comparative approach and focusing on an increasingly European and international dimension. The complexity and the sheer range of the issues dealt with has led IRES to develop and set up several research divisions (or areas), each tackling diverse themes and involving expert consultants.
IRES’ activity can rely on a permanent staff of senior researchers (around 10 people) for its activities. Each senior researcher is in charge of a specific area of studies and can seek the help of external researchers and scholars specialising in various disciplines to conduct specific study projects (around 40 people). The Institute is backed by a Documentation and Information Department, relying on the services of the administrative and auditing departments. Besides the traditional platform of specialised hardware and software facilities (such as SPSS®, ArcView®), IRES’ activity is sustained by thematic data banks. The Institute’s coordination and management are entrusted to a chairman and a director. Its guidelines are set by a Steering Committee.
The Institute is financed for around 70% by the CGIL and industry federations and for 30% it is relying on external projects such as commissioned by the regional, national and EU administration.
From the outset, IRES has conducted a vast amount of research, grasping the changes underway in society by empiric observation, formulating theoretical hypotheses that have been the hallmark of its 25-year-old history.
Besides the national IRES (Roma), there are another nine regional IRES which are cooperating with each other on different issues but are legally autonomous entities. An important restructuring of the Institute is due to be carried out this year, namely the merger of both IRES and the training body of CGIL - the Instituto Superiore per la Formazione (ISF) into a new institute which will be named after the former leader of CGIL, Bruno Trentin. The aim is to create a bigger and more encompassing trade union-related Institute.
The CGIL has created and supports financially another research body, namely Fondazione Di Vittorio (FDV), which works in parallel to IRES but yet with a different accent and way of working. The foundation has been created in 1992 as a study centre of the history of the labour movement in Italy. However, in 2002, the activities of the foundation have been broadened so as to include also research on economic and social issues, international relations, education, sustainable development etc. The main difference with IRES consists in that FDV is working only with renowned external experts and thus does not have its own research staff. The foundation also puts a more historic and wider context-related accent to its studies, events and publications. For more information about the work of the Foundation, please visit their website: http://www.fondazionedivittorio.it/index.php
Areas of expertise and competencies
The following work areas form the backbone of the Institute’s operational structure:
I. Industrial relations (Contact person: Agostino Megale and Salvo Leonardi)
The area focuses on the norms and legal instruments that govern the rights and duties of workers and of those players and processes that collectively govern employee-employer relations.
Research lines:
• Industrial relations and Italian and comparative trade union law
• Wages, productivity and cost of labour
• Industrial democracy and economics
• Trade union penetration and comparative organisation models
II. Environment, territory and safety (Contact person: Elena Battaglini )
The area’s main task is to analyse the complex interrelations between environmental and social systems.
Research lines:
• Environment and development of local systems
• Environment, risk and business
• Urban sustainability
III. Local development and industrial policy (Contact person: Stefano Palmieri)
The area analyses manufacturing systems – at European, domestic and local levels – and the industrial and economic policies implemented at each of these levels.
Research lines:
• Economic performance of local manufacturing systems (industrial districts and local employment systems)
• Country development policies
• Analysis by markets and sectors of the diffusion of IT and TLC
• Analysis of trends in manufacturing and competitiveness in the domestic and European manufacturing systems
• Economic performance in the South
IV. Welfare and citizens’ rights (Contact person: Maria Luisa Mirabile)
Within the framework of welfare studies, the area focuses above all on the emerging issues of social change and reform.
Research lines:
• Local welfare
• Social impact of ageing
• Life trends and welfare
• Combating poverty
V. Labour market (Contact person: Giovanna Altieri)
The area analyses the changes that occur in the labour market, in the make-up of companies and in the redefinition of social organisation.
Research lines:
• The new forms of labour: changes and outlook
• Proactive labour policies and job creation policies
• The labour market and new economy
• Gender issues: women and the labour market
Observatories are a further aspect of our organisation. Their task is to carefully monitor issues of crucial interest so as to gather in-depth information. IRES has established eight observatories on the following themes:
1. Observatory on wages and collective bargaining
It monitors and analyses bargaining and wage trends in Italy and Europe.
2. Observatory on the overall conditions of the economy
An instrument for the gathering of information on the state of the economy in Italy and in Europe.
3. Observatory on the hidden economy
Provides a constant monitoring of the hidden economy in Italy and of the measures that are taken to legalise it.
4. Observatory on public finance and on the way the economy is managed
analyses the government’s budgetary policies with regard specially to the south and the metropolitan areas.
5. Observatory on immigration
A permanent observation point for the gathering of data on the phenomenon of immigration.
6. Observatory on ageing
A tool designed to gather and update information on the on-going sociopolitical debate relating to the issue of ageing
7. Observatory on atypical work
A permanent tool monitoring atypical work. The observatory focuses above all on analysing the latest developments and changes within the labour market.
8. Observatory on the employment of minors
Its principal aim is to reconstruct, through a series of in-depth analyses, the profiles of minors who begin work at a very young age. The Observatory works with the Employment Department of CGIL and with Fondazione Banco di Napoli to provide assistance to children.
Work programme, strategic plan, projects
Publications, language, newsletter
IRES has been directing since 2002 the Studi & Ricerche series for the publishing house Ediesse, which includes some of the Institute’s most significant works (more information on http://www.ires.it/collana_studi_ricerche ). IRES’ scientific output consists of a vast number of publications, including books, essays, articles and working papers, which can be consulted at http://www.ires.it/node/134 .
Other networks the institute is participating in
IRES has many partners across Europe such as the HBS, the Work &Life Institute, IRES France etc.