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      • 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
                      • 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.

                            • Rome
                              • 26 May 2011
                               
                               

                              Italy in the future tense. Values, culture, skills, competitiveness

                                This Aspen Junior Fellow Breakfast event saw the participants make a concerted effort to examine the individual challenges facing Italy through a broader frame of reference. It was noted that the long-term inertial forecast is one of a country that is aging and characterized by increasing levels of immigration, a widening North-South divide, the persistence of a detrimental public deficit, and insufficient productivity to maintain the level of prosperity hitherto achieved. This outlook, it was observed, feeds into a longstanding rhetoric of decline and defeat that is rife in Italy.

                              • Rome
                                • 24 May 2011
                                 
                                 

                                From Arab spring to Arab winter? Regional trends and implications for business

                                  Those attending this Aspen Mediterranean Initiative workshop set out to evaluate the impact of the so-called “Arab spring” on the economies of North Africa and on the wider Mediterranean region. The event, which saw the participation of key political and business figures from the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean, also marked the launch of Aspen Institute Italia’s Mediterranean Program.

                                • Rome
                                  • 18 May 2011
                                   
                                   

                                  Italy’s savings: how to make it work for the country’s development and well-being

                                    Opening the discussion at this National Roundtable was the observation that Italy’s stock of personal savings continues to highlight its strong position as a country with among the highest per-capita net worth in the world. Nevertheless, it was acknowledged that in order to give a complete picture of the situation, two areas in which Italy diverges from, in particular, other major European countries, need to be considered.

                                  • Milan
                                    • 8 May 2011
                                     
                                     

                                    Jobs, growth and values. Creating opportunities for new generations

                                      The Dialogue session got underway with the observation that the world economic recovery has failed to alleviate the social impact of the crisis, with the improving economic situation having no appreciable effect on employment. The participants highlighted that this phenomenon affects both workers in more mature sectors – that is, those most exposed to the consequences of globalization – as well as younger people, who are just entering the labor market.

                                    • Milan
                                      • 2 May 2011
                                       
                                       

                                      The new media, the power of information and business

                                        Underpinning the discussions at this Aspen national roundtable session on “The new media, the power of information and business” was the notion that the internet could serve as a driver of growth in Italy on the condition that the internet economy bears part of the massive costs associated with its own development. Recent studies were cited which estimate that the internet economy in Italy today accounts for 2% of the country’s gross domestic product, with expected growth margins by 2015 of between 3.3% and 4.3%.

                                      • Rome
                                        • 27 April 2011
                                         
                                         

                                        Information services in the security sector: protecting Italy’s financial and industrial system

                                          The participants at this National Roundtable opened the discussion by observing that following the reform of the Italian intelligence services, the activities of the relevant agencies are no longer confined to the protection of the political and military interests of the country, but also extend to defending its “economic, scientific and industrial” interests.