Rome, 19 January 2021 – To tie in with the publication of Aspenia 91, a journal edited by Marta Dassù, Aspen Institute Italia, in partnership with RAINEWS 24, will be holding an Aspenia Talk on the Zoom platform tomorrow, 20 January, at 17:30. President Joe Biden’s inaugural address will be aired live in the course of the debate – see attached invitation.
What is waning more in the West, civility or democracy? There has been talk for a century now of Western “decline”, understood as demographic and economic, but also the decline of fundamental values such as freedom, democracy and openness. Interpretations have gone so far as to speak of a broad decline in moral values. It can be seen as the beginning of a different perception of the world’s diversities.
On November 24, 2021, the Italian government adopted a 2022-2024 strategic artificial intelligence program jointly drafted by the ministries of university and research, of economic development and of technological innovation and digital transition. In the global race for technological development, the program traces a roadmap for policies aimed at promoting the country’s competitiveness by strengthening national level professional competences and research in the field of artificial intelligence.
The focus of both the G20 in Rome in October and of the COP26 in Glasgow in November was the energy transition. Italy continues to be an active participant in a debate that sheds light on the fact that the transition is not only energy-related, but also an economic, financial, social and cultural one.
Country system appeal has always been an issue for Italy, the recipient of between 2% and 3% of all direct foreign investments in Europe and the twelfth-ranked nation on the continent. The difficulty in attracting investments is paramount among the concerns to be addressed in ensuring support for and the development of the country’s fabric of small and medium-sized enterprises. Yet, the country presents a marked dualism, not only between north and south, but also between levels of competitiveness and productivity.
The history of human presence in space consists mainly of two phases. The first of these, more political – and in hindsight, military – in nature, was entirely in the hands of the United States given the high cost of investments. In the second phase, which spawned the “new space economy”, has reduced government participation and opened the doors to private interests eager to offer auxiliary services to institutional operators as well as to develop new activities.
Population ageing is a global trend affecting all the world’s foremost economies. The phenomenon is have an especially significant impact on China and Europe and seems destined, along with the climate crisis, to be among the main generators of change in twenty-first century societies. Governments, citizens and the business community thus find themselves facing a range of challenges as well as a host of opportunities.
The definition of America’s as a “boom” economy is amply justified by the 21 months of growth confirmed by the prestigious National Bureau of Economic Research. A historic fact comparable perhaps only to the 1960s of Presidents Kennedy and Johnson and the early Reagan years. Current fiscal stimulus amounting to nearly 6 trillion dollars is far more substantial than the New Deal or post-Second World War measures.
The relationship between information and power is not a new concern. Ancient Greek historian Polybius defined ochlocracy as the degeneration of democracy where the mob is led to believe it is free to exercise its prerogatives while instead becoming the active instrument of one or more groups. The exponential spread of interconnected actors has fed a considerable flow of web-channeled data, the appropriate use of which platforms are required to manage. This endeavor calls for an ability to differentiate between content that is legal and that which may constitute a violation.
Italian industry is compelled to face the prospect of a future digital market, along with the continuing paradigm shifts that technological transformation is imposing on the economic and social fabric. The radical transformation of manufacturing, consumption and habits is having a significant impact not only on daily activities but also on the capacity for near-future analysis and forecast.
Aspenia 94 (in Italian), entitled “I nuovi dopoguerra”, analyzes the many complexities of the international economic picture. It is possible that the post-Covid era will open up scenarios similar to those of the 1970s, or even something resembling the “roaring Twenties” and its tragic epilogue, the Great Depression of 1929.
The United States-China face-off is surely going to dominate in the near future. Washington now considers the bid to involve China in a liberal order, which Beijing itself has deemed illegitimate, a lost cause. Thus, in order to prevent the confrontation from becoming a conflict – or even war – it is going to be necessary to establish some collaborative terrain on global issues in a context otherwise dominated by sharp contrasts. It is not the Congress but rather the American economic world that interacts and is heavily interdependent with the Chinese economy.
The world of finance, with its products and markets, is undergoing a deep transformation. Indeed, from the standpoint of technology, the instruments made available to operators over the past 10 years have revolutionized the sector.
The Covid-19 pandemic has radically modified the consumer industry over the last 18 months. If, in a first phase, we saw the acceleration of trends that were already widespread, such as e-commerce, over time we witnessed the rise of new priorities, generally viewed as secondary in the pre-pandemic phase, including, but not limited to, the protection of the environment and the physical and mental well-being of the person.
The pandemic experience and consequent evolution of the global economic picture make even clearer than before the need for Italy and Europe to cultivate an attractive environment for industrial investments, primarily those strategic to national growth and security. This along with the promotion of adequate public and private level competences and a deep reform of the public administration aimed at higher quality and rapidity in decision-making.
Many factors have converged to bring radical change to the scenario:
The Made in Italy brand and its propensity for exportation has always been an essential component of the Italian economy, playing a crucial role in the development and growth of the national entrepreneurial fabric. Exports continue to be a driver of the economy’s competitiveness thanks to progress that is predicted to surpass 11% in 2021, with prospects over the next three years of maintaining a pace beyond that of the pre-pandemic period.
On September 24-25, 2021 Aspen Institute Italia, TIM and Intesa Sanpaolo organized the international conference “Ethics and Artificial Intelligence”, under the High Patronage of the President of the Republic and with the cooperation of Aspen Institute Germany, Institut Aspen France and the Academy of Sciences of Bologna Institute.
