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      • 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.

        • Milan
          • 3 November 2014
           
           

          How important is big data for business and society?

            320 times greater than the store of knowledge kept in the legendary Library of Alexandria, and representing a mass of data which, if stored on DVDs stacked on top of each other, would cover five times the distance from the Earth to the Moon and back again: it was in these terms that participants at this national roundtable described the wealth of knowledge that forms the preserve of contemporary man, and which, evocative analogies aside, comprises the extraordinary body of information commonly known as big data.

          • Milan
            • 23 October 2014
             
             

            Smart cities, technology and sustainability. The challenge of Expo 2015

              With issue 66 of the Institute’s Aspenia journal spotlighting, among other things, the Expo 2015 world’s fair to be held in Milan, the panel discussion for the launch of the volume examined the legacy of hosting such a global event. As a showcase of the best that the country has to offer, it was suggested that the event will not just have the admirable outcome of focusing international political debate on the world food problem and food security, but will also serve as a strategic litmus test for the city of Milan and its ambition to become an “ever-smarter city”.

            • Milan
              • 20 October 2014
               
               

              Helping Italian SMEs compete on global markets

                Kick-starting this national roundtable event was the observation that the question of the competitiveness of Italian firms in global markets can be summed up in the indisputable if somewhat simplified proposition that while exports alone are not enough to get by on, they are nevertheless vital for survival. It was noted that the longstanding issue of the internationalization of Italian SMEs has been a subject of public debate for decades, in parallel with the escalation of globalization and the technological revolution.

              • Milan
                • 13 October 2014
                 
                 

                Transforming a company in a sector that is undergoing transformation

                  Discussions at this event focused primarily on the profound changes taking place in the news and publishing industry. It was remarked that, on the one hand, the industry is having to respond to competitive pressures common to other sectors, first and foremost being the search for efficiency gains in a globalized market, and, on the other, editorial product is undergoing an extraordinary transformation wrought by technological innovation.

                • Rome
                  • 24 September 2014
                   
                   

                  Reforming Italy’s public administration to spur competitiveness

                    The participants at this National Roundtable viewed as telling that in the nigh-on seventy-year history of the Italian Republic, there have been several instances of eminent figures such as Guido Carli expressing grave concerns regarding the state of the country’s public administration. Today, after a protracted period characterized by a lack of continuity in the political and governmental helmsmanship of the state apparatus, the prevailing sense is that of an institutional and procedural milieu bereft of political leadership.

                  • Rome
                    • 17 September 2014
                     
                     

                    Cross‐generation roundtable – Beyond equal opportunity: women in business and in the public sector

                      This second edition of the Cross-generational Roundtable, aimed at bringing together associates of Aspen Institute Italia spanning several generations to discuss various topics of shared interest, focused on gender equality of opportunity. In particular, the participants examined analyses and proposals to improve women’s access in Italy to managerial and leadership positions in companies and public administrations.

                    • Rome
                      • 31 July 2014
                       
                       

                      From vulnerabilities to resilience: strengthening human development

                        Education, welfare and the gender gap were at the top of the agenda of discussions at this international roundtable, which featured guest speaker Khalid Malik, Director of the UNDP’s Human Development Report Office. The Office’s 2014 report sets out to measure progress in long-term human development against three main areas of achievement: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge, and a decent standard of living. Also taken into account are the capacity to enjoy equal opportunity of access, and to exercise the universal right to the same opportunities in life.

                      • Milan
                        • 16 July 2014
                         
                         

                        Joint meeting between the Friends of Aspen and the Aspen Junior Fellows – Topic: the “World Economy” international conference

                          The three issues explored at the recent Aspen International Conference event – the “World Economy Dialogue” held in Rome on June 30, 2014 – were the subject of discussion at this first joint meeting of the Friends of Aspen and Aspen Junior Fellows. The resources to be called upon for the global recovery, the energy challenge facing Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa as a frontier for global growth hence provided the guiding framework for a debate informed by the specific profile of those in attendance, namely, entrepreneurs and young people.

                        • Brescia
                          • 15 July 2014
                           
                           

                          Health, environment and lifestyle: can Italy be a model of sustainable well‐being?

                            Spearheading discussions at this national roundtable discussion was the affirmation that Italy could become a major force in sustainable prosperity, but in order to fully achieve this goal, it must work further on resolving its economic, environmental and social problems, and continue to maintain its strengths. While the country has an outstanding track record in health, wellbeing and lifestyle, there was a consensus that it must not rest on its laurels.

                          • Rome
                            • 10 July 2014
                             
                             

                            The “abuse of rights” in public finance administration and tax law

                              Discussions at this National Roundtable commenced with a reference to the old cartographic practice of marking unknown and dangerous lands with the expression “Hic sunt leones”. It was suggested that, today, the same could be done if charting a hypothetical map of business taxation in Italy: an insidious terra incognita in which that peculiar invention of the judiciary known as “abuse of rights” generates confusion and uncertainty.

                            • Rome
                              • 29 June 2014
                               
                               

                              The next frontiers: tapping the potential of our economies

                                Launching discussions at this World Economy Conference was an acknowledgement by those in attendance that the recovery from the economic crisis of recent years has been particularly slow in historical terms, with the most recent figures confirming fears of a further possible slowdown. This global scenario was seen as a fortiori necessitating that growth be considered a top priority for Europe during Italy’s current 6-month-long presidency of the Council of the EU.

                              • Milan
                                • 15 June 2014
                                 
                                 

                                The new entrepreneur: international, open to risk, good at communications

                                  Running through the debate at this year’s Annual Conference for the Friends of Aspen was an awareness that,in an increasingly competitive and complex market, entrepreneurs need to be able to develop a mindset and skill-set that is open to risk and capable of steering and governing the processes of globalization whilst preserving their firms’ identity. It was acknowledged that there is a shift underway towards a new business paradigm that calls for a novel form of leadership based on trust, knowledge sharing, and fresh approaches to facilitating the flow of intelligence and charisma.

                                • Milan
                                  • 9 June 2014
                                   
                                   

                                  The Italian luxury goods industry: cultural and manufacturing aspects

                                    The participants at this national roundtable noted, by way of opening premise, that the luxury and high-end markets represent a worldwide business worth 730 billion dollars. The sub-segment of personal luxury goods – valued at 230 billion dollars – sees Italy and France as joint market leaders, each having a share worth more than 50 billion dollars.

                                  • Siracusa
                                    • 6 June 2014
                                     
                                     

                                    Arab Evolutions. The Mediterranean after the global slowdown

                                      Kick-starting talks at this session of the Aspen Mediterranean Initiative was the observation that the arduous and variegated evolution of the Mediterranean region needs to be viewed within the prevailing global context.