Early Variscan I-type pluton in the pre-Alpine basement of the Western Alps: The ca. 360 Ma Cogne diorite (NW-Italy)

Located at the internal border of the Grand-Saint-Bernard Zone, the diorite and its aureole lie on top of intensively studied Alpine eclogitic units but this pluton, poorly studied yet, has kept locally almost undeformed. The pluton intruded, at similar to 360 Ma, country-rocks mostly composed of dark shales with Na2O > K2O and minor mafic intercalations of tholeiitic basalt affinity. This association is characteristic of the Vanoise (France) basement series, where available age determinations suggest an Early Paleozoic age. Parts of the pluton, and of its hornfels aureole that is evidenced here for the first time, in the Punta Bioula section of Valsavaranche valley (NW-Italy), have been well-preserved from the Alpine deformation. Syn-emplacement hardening, dehydration-induced, probably prevented strain-enhanced Alpine recrystallization. Magmatic rock-types range continuously from subordinate mafic types at SiO2 similar to 48%, of hornblendite with cumulative or appinite affinities, to the main body of quartz diorite to quartz monzonite (SiO2 up to 62%). P-T estimates for the pluton emplacement, based on the abundance of garnet in the hornfelses, using also zircon and apatite saturation thermometry and Al-in-hornblende barometry, suggest T similar to 800-950 degrees C and minimum P in the 0.2-0.5 GPa range, with records of higher pressure conditions (up to 1-2 GPa?) in hornblendite phlogopite-cored amphibole. The high-K, Na > K, calcalkaline geochemistry is in line with a destructive plate-margin setting. Based on major element data and radiogenic isotope signature (epsilon Nd-360 Ma from -1.2 to + 0.9, Sr-87/Sr-86(360 MA) from 0.7054 to 0.7063), the parental magmas are interpreted in terms of deep-seated metabasaltic partial melts with limited contamination from shallower sources, the low radiogenic Nd-content excluding a major contribution from Vanoise tholeiites. There is no other preserved evidence for Variscan magmatism of similar age and composition in the Western Alps, but probable analogs are known in the western and northern parts of French Massif Central. Regarding the Alpine tectonics, not only the age of the pluton and its host-rocks (instead of the Permo-Carboniferous age previously believed), but also its upper mylonitic contact, suggest revisions of the Alpine nappe model. The Cogne diorite allegedly constituted the axial part of the E-verging ``pli en retour [backfold] du Valsavaranche'', a cornerstone of popular Alpine structural models: in fact, the alleged fold limbs, as attested here by field and geochemical data, do not belong to the same unit, and the backfold hypothesis is unfounded. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Transitions in partnership and parental status, gender, and political and civic participation

Participation research has documented the effect of partner and parenthood status, thereby ignoring the dynamic aspect of status changes. Based on theoretical insights on changes in political resources and interest, this study looks at partnership and parenthood as dynamic characteristics. Using data from the Swiss Household Panel (SHP), it examines to what extent important life-cycle transitions in partnership and parental status influence various forms of political and civic participation and whether they affect men and women's participation differently. Our regression analyses reveal that particularly the entry into separation or divorce is a main key point driving change in political and civic participation. Its effect is also highly gendered. Following separation, women participate less in voting, whereas men's participation rates are not affected in a negative way. Separation even increases men's level of anticipated activism. Children entering or leaving the household do not seem to represent key points of change in political and civic participation of the couple. Yet, the transition to having school-aged children significantly increases some types of participation, at least for women.

Immigració i desafecció política a l'espai local: la instrumentalització política de la immigració a Catalunya i Gran Bretanya

El projecte ha tingut com a objectiu principal abordar la instrumentalització política de la immigració per part de partits polítics de nova extrema dreta. Aquest fenomen, que ha adquirit una gran rellevància a gran part dels països europeus, està adquirint una creixent rellevància en els casos britànic i català a partir de, entre altres coses, l'emergència electoral dels partits Plataforma per Catalunya i British National Party. En aquest sentit, el projecte ha tractat de desenvolupar una recerca que produís un conjunt de dades i coneixements que permetessin abordar de forma fonamentada un fenomen “nou” en el context català i que, fins al moment, ha rebut escassa atenció per part del món acadèmic. Dins d’aquest objectiu cal destacar el fet que la àmplia experiència de l’equip investigador britànic en l’anàlisi de la nova extrema dreta ha permès que els investigadors catalans poguessin desenvolupar la seva recerca recolzant-se i dialogant en la seva contrapart britànica. Els resultats de la recerca són certament novedosos i representaran una important contribució al coneixement d’aquest fenomen. Així, en el marc de la recerca s’han desenvolupat una sèrie d’entrevistes a membres i a votants de PxC, així com una enquesta a votants i una anàlisi agregada sobre el vot al partit. En aquest sentit, cal destacar que és la primera vegada que s’aconsegueixen aquest tipus de dades. Un fet que està fent, i farà, que la seva explotació i divulgació adquireixi una gran rellevància tant en el món acadèmic com en el de les administracions públiques. Finalment, convé ressaltar que el projecte també ha servit per consolidar la relació entre els equips d’investigació britànic i català i per impulsar la inserció de l’equip català en les xarxes europees d’investigació sobre aquesta matèria.

Contextual effects on political behavior

In her post-doctoral research stay, Aina Gallego has conducted several research projects with the overarching theme of identifying the effects of contexts on political behavior. She has examined the effects of institutions, the economic situation, or local contexts on outcomes such as voter turnout, vote choice, and positions on salient issues. As detailed below, this work has been published in several journal articles in leading Political Science journals such as Comparative Political Studies, Political Behavior, and Electoral Studies (see attached documents). She has a forthcoming book with Cambridge University Press, the most prestigious book press in Political Science.She has also published book chapters and has several working papers. In addition to conducting her research, Aina has received extensive training in both substantive areas and research methods. She has participated fully in the Department’s academic life by attending seminars and engaging in research projects with other members of the Department.

The roots of success: industrial growth in Italy reconsidered, 1911- 1951

This article reconsiders the growth of Italian industry from the First World War to the eve of the economic miracle, with the aid of sector-specific new value-added series, at three different price-bases. The new estimates reduce growth during the First World War, making the Italian case comparable to the other belligerent countries, while improving the performance of the 1920s. The 1929 crisis looks more profound than before, while the recovery after 1933 is now stronger. During the 1920s and the 1930s, a significant shift from traditional to more advanced activities took place: when confronted with the rest of Europe, the interwar period was a relative success, which laid the ground for the following economic boom.