Rome
18 February 2015
Competitiveness and Italy’s job market
Kick-starting proceedings at this national roundtable event was recognition that debate on the state of the labor market in Italy and reflection on how the country measures up with conditions and models in other countries (Germany and the Netherlands in particular) are now more than ever imperative, at a time when the jobless rate is higher than the EU average (and is, indeed, the highest for youth unemployment), and when manufacturing output and consumer prices are in decline.
Washington DC
8 February 2015
How development can be sustainable. Food security, nutrition and health: the transatlantic link
Headlining this international workshop was the observation that EXPO 2015 is not only a major global event in which 148 nations will participate, nor is it just an attraction expected to draw in around 20 million visitors. It was characterized, rather, as primarily an opportunity of great political significance, the success of which will be gauged by its ability to put across and put back on the global agenda strategic issues such as food security and wastage, poverty reduction, health protection, and the fight against inequality, including between genders.
Rome
20 January 2015
Rethinking energy security: economics and geopolitics
Kick-starting the debate at this third workshop of the Aspen Energy Forum was the observation that low oil prices and the consequent volatility are causing instability in energy markets, with the situation unlikely to change at least for a while.
Rome
20 January 2015
Future energy. New sources and new markets for the US and Europe
The panel discussion for the launch of Aspenia 67 focused on the – if not insurmountable, then certainly worrying – energy gap that has arisen between the United States and Europe. On one side is the United States, which has almost achieved energy self-sufficiency thanks to its growing production of shale gas, and on the other is Europe, a sluggish continent which lacks coordinated infrastructure and a common regulatory framework, and which is exposed to serious geopolitical risks to the East (Russia and Ukraine) as well as to the South (the Maghreb and the countries of North Africa).
Milan
19 January 2015
High‐tech life sciences in Italy
The opening premise of discussions at this National Interest roundtable event was that an examination of industrial trends over the course of the deep and protracted crisis that has hit Italian manufacturing highlights the importance of the life sciences sector. Figures were cited in support of this assertion showing that, in Italy, the pharmaceutical and medtech industries have increased their contribution to the economy in terms of value added (up from 5% to 6% of manufacturing industry from 2008 to 2013) and even more so in terms of exports (up from 5% to 7%).
Rome
19 January 2015
The geopolitical importance of maritime security for Italy
Discussions at this Meeting for the Aspen Junior Fellows began with acknowledgment that Italy’s maritime border along the Mediterranean is the country’s only extra-European frontier. Italy’s location and coastal development continue to ensure the country a flow of income from its role as a strategic European hub in what has come to be known as the new “maritime century”.
Turin
14 November 2014
The next industrial revolution. Manufacturing and society in the XXI century
Serving as the opening premise for proceedings at this session of the Aspen Transatlantic Dialogue was the observation that productivity, not employment, will be the engine of the next industrial revolution, and that, despite the difficulties stemming from the prolonged crisis, the anti-decline camp has ample justification for envisioning a future in which manufacturing and industry will continue to play a central role. It was stressed, however, that they can only play such a role by undergoing transformation.
Rome
21 September 2014
Italian talent abroad
This National Interest event of the Italian Talent Abroad group focused on work, training and innovation as the key launching pads for the country’s future. It was noted that while the issue of employment is one that impacts on the whole of Europe, it has an even greater bearing in Italy. In particular, there is a risk of losing an entire generation of talent, thereby fueling a vicious circle, since the destruction of skills and expertise in many sectors constitutes an irreversible process.
Rome
2 April 2014
Europe’s shifting politics: the challenge for smarter integration
There is a broad consensus on the key issues that will determine the sustainability and efficiency of the eurozone (and the European Union as a whole). These include common mechanisms in Europe, domestic political consensus in the face of the considerable sacrifices imposed on citizens, the functioning of national institutions to introduce necessary reforms; and mutual trust between the member countries.
New York
28 February 2014
The economic future of Europe and the US, the TTIP implications and investment opportunities in Italy
Organized in collaboration with the Italian Business & Investment Initiative, this international workshop highlighted a renewed openness towards investing in Italy precisely because it possesses – albeit frequently not well-known – assets of interest to investors. It was stressed, however, that implementing (not merely announcing or adopting) reforms, and providing certainty, consistency and a business-friendly environment, remain the real challenges to overcome, as there is fierce competition between nations to attract foreign investment.
Rome
1 December 2014
The need for reforms in Italy: new challenges for new generations
In kick-starting this Meeting of the Aspen Junior Fellows group, the question was posed as to whether a relationship exists between the impetus for reform and the advent of new generations. Reference was made, in this regard, to an observation made by Thomas Jefferson, who wrote that every generation has the right to write its own constitution[1] and to adopt its own institutions.
Rome
26 November 2014
Crime and punishment: justice and the political economy
In 1764, the now famous treatise “On Crimes and Punishments” was published anonymously, meeting with a success that today would be described as global, creating quite a stir in Italy, and exerting an influence both on the Founding Fathers in the United States and on the Napoleonic Constitution in France. Two years later, having already become an established work, it was released again – though this time it was attributed to the pen of Cesare Beccaria.
Milan
24 November 2014
Economic crises in a globalized world: new ways to finance businesses
Setting the backdrop for discussions at this National Roundtable session were the latest global liquidity indicators produced by the Bank for International Settlements, according to which credit at a global level is in abundant supply, risk appetite is strengthening, and credit conditions are loosening. This, again pursuant to the Bank for International Settlements, is favoring the growth of debt issuance and loans over bank-intermediated cross-border funding. The private equity sector has also been picking up since 2013.
Rome
21 November 2014
Balancing budgets and benefits for Italy’s cultural heritage. The Great Beauty: protecting and promoting art
With the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage marking the 40th year since its inception and the inauguration of its then first minister Giovanni Spadolini, the 13th Annual Conference of the Aspen Junior Fellows seized the opportunity afforded by the occasion to take stock of the current state of the cultural sector in Italy, focusing particularly on the balance to be struck between the preservation of artistic heritage and its exploitation to best advantage from an economic and social standpoint, as well as to articulate a vision for the sector’s future.
Milan
20 November 2014
The G8 Social Impact Investment Task Force (SIIT): conclusions and evaluations
Kick-starting discussions at this Meeting of the Friends of Aspen group was the observation that the establishment of the Social Impact Investment Taskforce (SIIT) by the G8 has sparked debate in a number of countries on social finance and the important role it can play.
Milan
10 November 2014
Expo 2015: Italy’s food and agriculture industry and global markets
Kick-starting discussions at this national conference was the observation that with a turnover of 132 billion euro and a workforce of 385,000 people, the food industry confirmed its position in 2013 as a leading sector of the Italian economy, holding up well against cyclical pressures despite the difficulties.
Rome
6 November 2014
The US midterm elections: results and analysis
This talk-debate session focused on the Republican victory in the recent US midterm elections, heralded as unquestionably significant in terms of both numbers and scale. President Obama is potentially up against both the House of Representatives and the Senate – a circumstance that is certainly nothing new in the American political system. Indeed, in the last sixty years, Jimmy Carter and Lyndon Johnson were the only presidents not forced to contend with a “divided government”, making the latter an established institutional tradition of politics across the pond.