Venice
27 October 2011
China-Europe-U.S. Trialogue Second meeting
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.
Rome
26 October 2011
Eurobonds: the intricate relations between politics and economics
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.
Rome
24 October 2011
Media 2.0 – Power and Freedom
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.
Rome
12 October 2011
Culture, politics, the economy: Italy’s national interest, from the country’s unification to the present day
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.
Rome
10 October 2011
China and the European crisis
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.
Rome
30 September 2011
Celebrating Italy’s 150th anniversary: the country’s youth, history and future
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.
Milan
26 September 2011
Venture capital and start-ups: boosting innovation and youth employment
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.
Rome
14 September 2011
Sharing our future: forging an alliance between state and market for a new social contract
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.
Milan
25 July 2011
New forms of poverty: social, economic and political implications
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.
Rome
13 July 2011
Energy: in search of the right mix
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.
Rome
6 July 2011
The role of international businesses in Italy’s economic growth
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.
Rome
4 July 2011
Radek Sikorsky at Aspen Institute Italia
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.
Stresa (Verbania)
26 June 2011
Family businesses: leading the future
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.
Milan
20 June 2011
Putting SMEs on the international scene: innovation and funding
The sixteenth annual conference of the Friends of Aspen was held in the Art Nouveau surrounds of the main hall at the headquarters of the Philological Society of Milan.
Milan
13 June 2011
Health and well-being: new models of sustainable development
As an opening premise, the participants at this National Conference noted that any reflection on the future of the Italian national health service must first start with an analysis of the value produced for the country in health terms. In this regard, statistics were cited indicating that between 1951 and the present day, life expectancy in Italy has increased by 1 month every 4 months. Italy also has the longest-lived population in Europe, with over-65s already making up 20% of the population, or 12 million people, of whom 3.5 million are over 80 years old (6%).
Spoleto
10 June 2011
The Enlightenment and the Transatlantic Link: Common Roots and Today’s Challenges
This follow-up session to the November 2009 Aspen Italia Seminar (then held in Rome) on “The Enlightenment and the Transatlantic Link: Common Roots and Today’s Challenges” took place within the setting of Spoleto’s Palazzo Ancaiani. The event was organized in conjunction with The Aspen Institute and was aimed at discussing the continued relevance today of Enlightenment values, through an interpretation of over forty selected texts by American and European authors, including several from Italy.
Rome
7 June 2011
Reforming corporate governance: proposals and tools
The participants at this National Roundtable noted that, in recent years, the corporate governance of Italian firms has changed in a rapid and decisive – though in some ways haphazard – manner. This process, which started in the 1990s, particularly in the wake of the wave of privatizations, was intended to make the financial market more attractive to foreign and Italian investors by providing greater guarantees for the protection of minority shareholders.
Milan
6 June 2011
Exports: relaunching Italian enterprise
Kicking off this roundtable discussion was the observation that, in the coming years, exports are set to be the engine of growth for all European countries and, in particular, for Italy. Indeed, the rapid development of emerging economies suggests not only increasing imports of capital goods, but also of consumer goods. It was therefore seen as imperative for an economy as traditionally export-oriented as Italy’s to understand how to seize the opportunities opening up in global markets.