ISSN 2280-6180 (print) © Firenze University Press 
ISSN 2280-6172 (online) www.fupress.com/bae

DOI: 10.13128/bae-10000
Bio-based and Applied Economics 8(3): 237, 2019

In Memory of Ornella W. Maietta

Ornella W. Maietta passed away on 18th April 2019, after a long battle against cancer 
fought with the dignity that marked her whole life. 

Ornella got her bachelor degree in Agriculture in 1987 at the University of Naples Federico 
II and the Specialization degree in Agricultural Economics in 1991 at the Centro di Specializ-
zazione in Economico Agrarie per il Mezzogiorno, Portici (NA). Then she enrolled the M.Phil. 
in Land Economy at the University of Cambridge, UK where she graduated in 1993. Finally, 
she got her PhD degree in Agricultural Economics and policy at the University of Siena in 1997.

Soon after she got a position as researcher at the then Department of Agricultural Econom-
ics and Policy of the University of Naples Federico II. Then she moved to the Department of 
Economics and Statics of the same University where she was serving as Associate Professor of 
Economic Political.

Ornella’s contributions to the profession focuses mostly on two broad areas of research, 
namely:
a) the economics of innovation where she provided key contributions on the methodology for 

estimating the farm/firm efficiency and productivity – she was the recipient of the 2002 
best young economist paper by the European Review of Agricultural Economics/European 
Association of Agricultural Economists and soon after she published an important book 
on the analysis of efficiency that has been the reference textbook for the last generation of 
production economists – as well as on the role of human capital in generating innovation 
and growth with a focus on university-firms R&D collaboration as a driver of innovation 
especially for low-tech industry;

b) the economic analysis of non-profit sector, with a wide set of contributions ranging from the 
analysis of cooperatives to socially responsible consumption, from fair trade consumption 
to school meals and care sector, to some contributions that tried to bridge between the two 
broad areas of research analyzing the role of social capital and innovation.
Ornella was very active also in the profession being a member of the Italian Association 

of Agricultural and Applied Economists – AIEAA since its establishment in 2011 and having 
served as Associate Editor of Bio-based and Applied Economics – BAE from 2012 to 2018. 

Ornella was an excellent economist, an effective mentor of generations of young economists, 
and a true friend of many of us. We will always remember her brilliant economic mind as 
well as the high quality of her academic commitment and her pursuit of excellent in study and 
research. But we will mostly miss the human touch she put in whatever she did, the mutually 
respectful relationships she was able to develop and the supportive and loyal collaboration she 
provided to whoever worked with her, primarily the young economists.