The early years of the Internet were marked by a liberal optimism about its decentralizing and democratizing effects. Information would be widely available and undercut the monopolies of authoritarian governments. However, the world seems to have undertaken a radically different path.
The healthcare ecosystem is changing very rapidly and we need to drive that change – not be driven. In rethinking health, welfare and the lifecycle, innovation is key: it is a social priority, we might even call it a “Renaissance of Innovation”. We need to recall our core values and apply them to modern discoveries
The empowerment of women calls for a combination of measures capable of invoking the Sustainable Development Goals and their social, economic and environmental dimension; and in equal measure the financial dimension, which is gaining growing importance in this contemporary world and where women are under-represented. What is needed are policies and actions aimed at a sustainable finance sector that sees women as essential players in economic growth and, even more importantly, in all aspects that regard inclusion.
Italy is, by far, leader of Europe’s circular economy, recuperating double the European average of raw material, much more than the Germans in all sectors, but especially in hypercompetitive ones such as wood/furniture. Much needs to be improved, however, in the proper management of every phase of the waste cycle (from collection to recovery to disposal) which is an integral part of the circular economy. A single southern Italian region – Sardinia – reports recycling and reuse percentages far above the European average.
Given the important links between research, innovation and regulation, businesses, universities and institutions are being called upon to work in unison to reinforce and improve Italian competitiveness and with it the economy. Indeed, highly innovative businesses, for example, consider regulation an effective aid to economic progress and the creation of value added benefits.
Widespread and well-rooted start-ups – recently formed and highly innovative companies – are often seen as proxies for competition in a given territory and its ecosystem. Starts-ups in the field of life sciences are contributing to a substantial transformation of that ecosystem and to modifying relations among actors, nevertheless in a context in which the Open Innovation paradigm is less applicable and where the need to protect intellectual property prevails.
Enormous investments have been going into artificial intelligence for some time now. In some cases the returns have been unclear; neither are we entirely sure what artificial intelligence, machine learning and algorithms are, or what the difference between them is. What is certain, however, is that the future of the economy and of the society is inextricably bound to this new technological revolution.
The Italian and European healthcare systems are under increasing pressure as the result of a series of dynamics involving their populations and of new technological and scientific trends that are calling into question the efficacy and appropriateness of current approaches to the provision of healthcare services.
Current economic data offer a conflicting pitcure of the Italian country system. Some of the numbers are encouraging: the balance of payments is positive, inflation is low and portfolio investments in Italian assets have once again begun to rise, in some cases surpassing pre-2008 financial downturn levels. At the same time, unemployment levels, low growth and a public debt at near historic heights are evidence of how some key problems are far from having been resolved.
The automobile industry is riding the crest of a major innovative wave involving the digitalization of products and processes, the science of materials and solutions for sustainable mobility. This automotive evolution concerns automobiles produced for “mobility” and vehicles for “fun”. Indeed, these two broad categories are becoming increasingly divergent and often have antithetic specifications.
The theme of mobility is central to current reflections on economic development, and considerations on the mobility of persons and goods – to which approximately 29% of global CO2 emissions can be attributed – is a special focus.
Wedged as they are between factors that limit profitability and competition from Fintech companies, banks are being forced to innovate. In a European scenario penalized by low interest rates, Italian credit institutions are also suffering the impact of the country’s low economic growth and of trends affecting the government bonds, of which they are the principal holders. Added to all this is a European legislative framework that has continued to evolve over recent years and that has prioritized the reduction of risk associated with non-performing loans.
Contemporary society is paradoxical: the number of global deaths for lack of food is equal to those linked with illnesses due to over-eating. This immoral division of food resources is all the more problematic if you consider that the food production chain (from farm to consumer table) accounts for nearly 40% of harmful gas emissions.
Not just for profit. With the end of the “turbo-capitalism” era, the world economy is turning increasingly clearly towards a new model. Therefore, while growth and positive economic results will remain essential, it will also be crucially important to achieve the right relationship with the local context, a renewed sense of community and a closer focus on environmental issues.
One possible initial interpretation of the European parliamentary vote focused on the retreat of both main traditional parties (People’s and Socialist) and the success of two other pro-Europe parties (Liberals and Greens) that almost offset it, and on a softening in euro-skeptic parties’ positions that seems traceable to changes from within. These latter are certainly a significant force, but they do not appear capable of deeply inflecting the work of the Parliament.
