Bridging Risk Perception and Actions: Behavioral Determinants for Climate Adaptation and Ecological Energy Transition in Italy

This PhD dissertation investigates an in-depth examination of behavioral factors, institutional elements, and policy aspects within the Italian frameworks for climate change adaptation and energy transition. Three interconnected research studies are presented using different analytical approaches. The first part of the article (Chapter 1) identifies behavioral gaps in flood risk perception and proposes interventions to address them. Part 2 presents an empirical application and methodology of the thesis. Chapter 2 presents a framework for selecting economic models, and Chapter 3 develops a quantitative framework for assessing public behavior responses to the energy transition. Using the COM-B framework, Chapter 4 examines the factors that influence the adaptation of agricultural farms to extreme events by integrating cognitive, economic, and political factors. To close the perception-action gap, behavioral interventions and systemic analyses are combined in a scalable model. There has been a significant advance in the development of methods related to GSEM/SEM applications and behavioral typology. These findings offer crucial guidance for EU strategies, including the Farm to Fork Strategy and the European Green Deal. They provide policy tools, including a framework for diagnosing problems and establishing evidence-based standards for intervention measures.