As a lead-in to the discussions at this ASL session, it was remarked that historians pithily term any major turning points – whether they be single events or prolonged phenomena – which are capable of bringing about an irreversible change in the destiny of mankind as “interludes”.
Opening the discussion at this ASL seminar dedicated to urban mobility and infrastructure sustainability was the observation that Europe’s cultural, social and economic model hinges, first and foremost, on cities. While urbanization is a comparatively recent phenomenon for many countries around the world, the history and structure of industry in Italy and Europe were among the first to develop to a more significant degree around cities and metropolises.
In this Aspen Seminar for Leaders, dedicated to Italian talent at home and abroad, it was noted that perhaps as in no other Western country, culture has been a unifying factor in Italy: the sheer force of Italians having ancient roots in common and an extraordinary shared history has sustained an unbroken national identity over the centuries, despite the country being for a long time fragmented into several smaller states.
Three major issues stand out in the list of challenges currently facing the Western world: (1) medium-term trends in the global economy, with special focus on new sources of growth, rebalancing and decoupling; (2) the European debt crisis, its outlook and possible solutions; and (3) green energy as a growth driver.
The Friends of Aspen held their thirteenth annual meeting at the Museum of Science and Technology in Milan. As per tradition, at the opening of proceedings the group’s latest members were introduced, and then a brief account was given of the Friends’ activities over the past two years, which have been characterized by efforts to provide fresh insights into the work involved in running a business day-to-day, with a focus on encouraging new generations to take up the mantle.
The second meeting of the Trialogue series focused on the issues of global economic governance (with special attention to the role of the G20), trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific links in the security field, and instability in the Middle East region with its possible implications.
Discussions at this national roundtable session got underway with the observation that the idea of introducing European public debt securities – or so-called Eurobonds – is not a new one: indeed, it dates back to 1993 when Jacques Delors proposed, albeit in embryonic form, the issuance of European bonds to finance investment in European Community infrastructure.
Debate among the members of the panel at the launch of the latest edition of Aspenia got underway with the observation that the internet has revolutionized the media and society, and has changed and will continue to change the political process.
In the beginning, there was the catch-cry of “liberty and independence”: the Risorgimento ideal par excellence, expressing the longing of generations of those aspiring for an Italian nation, who – from the Congress of Vienna to 1861, as well as in the bellicose sequels of the following decade – devoted their thoughts and deeds and blood and hopes to the unification of Italy.
This international roundtable, which saw the participation of a delegation from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provided an opportunity to discuss developments in the euro crisis and China’s views regarding the same. The core issue debated regarded the nature of the crisis and the motives behind the speculative attacks against certain countries.
The 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy provided the Aspen Junior Fellows with a renewed opportunity at their Annual Conference to reflect on and bear witness to the country’s quintessential values, as well as celebrating the group’s tenth anniversary.
The participants at this roundtable session observed that Italy has long been a country that, paradoxically, is brimming with ideas yet marked by scant innovation and little skilled employment for the young talent chiefly responsible for these ideas. The abundant and inexpensive intellectual resources on hand are held back by a combination of a poor aptitude for project creation and poor communication among the various actors who are in a position to ensure that good ideas translate into great innovations.
At this roundtable session dedicated to the future of Italy’s pension system, it was observed that population aging, the impending retirement of the baby boomer generation, the prolonged period of economic stagnation currently being experienced and dwindling public resources are driving Italy, as well as most other developed nations, to tackle questions regarding the relationship between the role of public and private social security schemes. Today, pensions, healthcare and welfare, in their various forms, are no longer being delivered solely by the state.
This National Conference got underway with the observation that, in Italy as in Europe, emerging forms of poverty have mainly affected segments of the population that were previously relatively protected but that have now become socially and economically vulnerable. This phenomenon has also been accompanied by the onset of other hardships, stemming from the intensification of migration flows.
The panelists at the presentation of the latest issue of Aspenia emphasized that the search for a better energy mix should start with the premise that there is no magic formula. The most prudent choices – whether political or business – must be forward-looking, that is, not merely focused on short-term needs. It was conceded, however, that no energy mix can fully meet all the criteria for an ideal blend, including: security of supply, market competitiveness, and low environmental impact.
This roundtable saw those in attendance debate the role that foreign-owned firms play in the Italian economy, particularly with a view to identifying approaches and measures that could enable foreign direct investment inflows to be improved.
Radek Sikorsky at Aspen Institute Italia. The Foreign Minister of Poland held an off the record seminar at our Institute. The debate focused on the principle themes of European foreign policy and Poland’s priorities for the EU presidency. Sikorsky is the author of a book on Afghanistan which was recently published also in Italy.
The focus of this international conference was the family-run firm, without question the most widely-used business ownership and organizational structure. It was noted that in Europe and the Anglo-Saxon world, and in the Far East and more recently emergent countries, the family business constitutes – albeit to greater or lesser extents and with marked differences from region to region – a key pillar of the global economy, in the production of wealth as well as in job creation.
