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      • Venice
        • 20 May 2016
         
         

        The post-BRICS economies: rethinking the geography of global growth

          Participants agreed that this year has been particularly complicated for the world economy. Risks are popping up in new places and the key role played in the past by the BRICS has faded to some extent. Geopolitical insecurity abounds in Europe (given the Brexit referendum, elections in Spain, difficulties in Greece, conflict in Ukraine, etc.) and the big question mark hanging over the American elections is also a source of instability. Turning these changes into opportunities requires reviewing the cards on the table and shuffling the deck.

        • Venice
          • 20 May 2016
           
           

          Big Data as the next great digital challenge: what lies ahead?

            Big Data is now ubiquitous. No longer confined to niche fields like astrophysics, genomics and machine learning, the analysis of massive databases is now applied to such diverse areas as retailing, human resources, traffic management, energy consumption or healthcare. Big Data already provides imaginative solutions to countless social, economic, and commercial problems that seemed intractable just a few years ago.

          • Venice
            • 20 May 2016
             
             

            Infrastructure: ensuring its utility and sustainability

              The consensus which emerged from this Aspen Seminars for Leaders session was that an innovative approach to the issue of infrastructure in Italy requires the notion itself to be redefined and its boundaries redrawn. Indeed, if the term “infrastructure” is considered to extend to that which is useful to the development and competitiveness of the country, then it would seem unavoidable for any analysis to be expanded to include all those systems that enable individuals and businesses to live and operate as best as possible.

            • Venice
              • 20 May 2016
               
               

              Italy’s public sector: a deadweight or impetus for the country?

                The most common tendency in times of need, in times of crisis – and today is no exception – is to turn to the state. The context, however, is different today. A full-blown Copernican-style revolution is underway in society, the economy, politics and culture. Competitiveness and investments need boosting, the public debt needs reducing and private savings are not in the best of health either thanks to the downturn. The factors that generate productivity need rational reconsideration.

              • Venice
                • 20 May 2016
                 
                 

                The shape of medicine to come: prospects, opportunities, and social impacts

                  Underpinning discussions at this Aspen Seminar for Leaders session devoted to the future of healthcare was the acknowledgement that major advances in research and the boost in diagnostic capabilities ensured by Big Data are shifting the development of medicine in the direction of personalized treatments, which are characterized by a stronger focus on prevention.

                • Venice
                  • 20 May 2016
                   
                   

                  Focus on industry: the power of innovation

                    This Aspen Seminar for Leaders session focused on the prevailing industrial scenario, characterized as one in which all stages of production are increasingly being swept up in the move towards digitalization and the advent of manufacturing 4.0, raising crucial questions regarding how to seize the opportunities afforded by the revolution underway.

                  • Milan
                    • 17 May 2016
                     
                     

                    Building leadership excellence: Italy and everyone else

                      The participants at this Meeting for The Aspen Junior Fellows openly acknowledged that standing up to international comparison represents one of the key challenges for Italy’s university education system posed by globalization.

                    • Rome
                      • 11 May 2016
                       
                       

                      The future of public broadcasting in a digital era

                        The discussions at this roundtable session were informed by a series of questions posed at the event regarding the purposes served today by Italy’s national public broadcaster (RAI), and whether it still makes sense to talk of public broadcasting in this day and age.

                      • Rome
                        • 4 May 2016
                         
                         

                        International Forum on Food Security Coordination

                          The UN Rome-Based Agencies—the World Food Programme (WFP), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)—develop and implement critical food security and humanitarian interventions at the global level. Each agency’s impact is magnified through effective collaboration and partnerships with corporations, NGOs, and national governments, play a growing role in scaling pilot projects and marshaling funds for urgently needed food system development.

                        • Rho (Milan)
                          • 15 April 2016
                           
                           

                          Focusing on design, not price: promoting Italian products on global markets

                            In order to drive home the importance to the Italian economy of design as a core component of the international success of the “Made in Italy” brand, the participants at this roundtable likened the sector to oil, in the sense of being a form of “energy” fueled by the history, culture, and flair for style and beauty that have helped forge Italy’s image abroad over the centuries. This image can rest assured of its considerable appeal, stemming in part from the international appreciation of a lifestyle that continues to draw accolades globally.

                          • Rome
                            • 12 April 2016
                             
                             

                            Training to be a leader: fostering individual talent while building a winning team

                              The participants at this Meeting for the Aspen Junior Fellows noted that, unlike in the past, leadership today is measured by the ability to build a team, maintain a winning team spirit, and rally group members to “pull together” as a team. The event provided an opportunity to examine what constitute essential the building blocks for a successful team, how to maximize the performance of individuals in order to optimize that of the overall team, and whether defeats help improve team performance more than wins.

                            • Florence
                              • 11 April 2016
                               
                               

                              The food and agriculture sector: protecting brands and supporting companies

                                Kick-starting discussions at this national roundtable was the acknowledgment that the Italian food and agriculture industry is one of the most emblematic of the Made in Italy sectors, not only because of the international appeal that Italian cuisine has always held, but also due to the economic importance of the sector.

                              • Bresso (Milan)
                                • 3 April 2016
                                 
                                 

                                Putting the crisis behind us: the industrial renaissance and family businesses

                                  Serving as a springboard for discussions at this national conference was the acknowledgement that family-run businesses are a key player in the European economic landscape. However, the crisis (or more precisely, the sea change) of recent years poses multifaceted and complex questions: businesses are facing changes in where they operate, what kind of business they do, their culture, and how they do business. These questions must be answered with pragmatism, a typically entrepreneurial trait, and with reflection, more the domain of academia.

                                • Palermo
                                  • 18 March 2016
                                   
                                   

                                  Hubs and networks in the Mediterranean basin: A path to sustainable growth

                                    The large trade and financial flows across the Mediterranean region and the Middle East are major opportunities for economic recovery. They are based mainly on the new energy networks (from both conventional and renewable sources) and the expansion of the Suez Canal, in addition to the persistent role of Gulf investors (particularly through sovereign wealth funds). There are certainly significant obstacles to growth, starting with volatile commodity prices linked to greater investor caution than in the recent past.

                                  • Rome
                                    • 17 March 2016
                                     
                                     

                                    The Mediterranean front: the energy challenge

                                      Low oil prices, a steep rise in investments in renewables, the Paris climate accord and significant emissions reductions: the world energy scenario, particularly in the Mediterranean region, is entering a new era. The permanent volatility of oil prices will not have a different or less decisive future impact on economic and business scenarios. At the same time, the crisis does not exist for renewables: even with oil prices low – and contrary to some fears – investments are on the rise.