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      • Milan
        • 7 May 2010
         
         

        Reconciling the environment and development. New ideas from the Y generation to beat weak economic growth

          The theme of the Ninth Annual Conference of the Aspen Junior Fellows, held in Milan on May 7-8, was “Reconciling the environment and development. New ideas from the Y generation to beat weak economic growth”. The Conference proceedings were divided into three sessions which focused on: the ecological deficit and measures to establish cross-generational solidarity on environmental values; Italy’s energy strategies viewed from an international comparative perspective; and the environment and food security in a more crowded, hotter, and “flatter” world.

        • Milan
          • 3 May 2010
           
           

          The economic dimension of crime

            The roundtable session opened with an acknowledgement by participants that the processes of globalization have made the fight against crime more complicated. Criminal activities have spread worldwide, expanding with the internationalization of trade and growth in migration flows. At the same time, however, organized crime has maintained a strong local flavor, due to its embeddedness in local communities and its permeation into the fabric of society.

          • Berlin
            • 29 April 2010
             
             

            Europe in the G-20 world

              The Conference got underway with a general discussion on a fundamental question: in the new world order, is Europe’s importance destined to wane – no matter what? Leaving aside the impact of major international trends (such as demographic changes), which have reduced the relative influence of the EU in objective terms, the participants pointed to various internal factors as constituting constraints on Europe’s potential. First and foremost of these is the difficulty of reconciling the sovereignty of the various Member States with the authority of Brussels.

            • Milan
              • 26 April 2010
               
               

              Italy’s strong and weak points

                The opening premise of this roundtable discussion was that a differential of more than ten percentage points has separated Italy from the average growth rate of the eurozone countries over the last 10 years. Whilst the growth rates of some of these countries have now been revealed as unsustainable, based as they were on an escalation in private and/or public borrowings, it was acknowledged that a comparison with the growth of more virtuous countries, such as Germany and, in particular, France, is still unfavorable to Italy.

              • Cernobbio
                • 11 April 2010
                 
                 

                Italian leaders abroad

                • Uncategorized

                This National Conference provided an opportunity for comparing the experiences of Italians who have managed to carve out brilliant careers and hold very high-level positions outside Italy, with a view to contributing to a better understanding of the country’s problems and areas of potential, and to identifying better long-term relationship-building and global integration prospects.

              • Rome
                • 17 March 2010
                 
                 

                Moving people: how to improve competitiveness, efficiency, and quality

                  The roundtable participants began their examination of the mobility issues affecting Italy today with the observation that, last year alone, Italian households spent on average more than 35 billion euro on getting from one place to another. Also in 2009, the cost of congestion in metropolitan areas was around 9 billion euro. Just in Rome, for example, fuel consumption totaled between 12-15 million euro in the same year – to which must be added the costs generated by rising pollution in cities and areas beyond city limits, as well as by road traffic accidents.

                • Nerola (ROME)
                  • 12 March 2010
                   
                   

                  Aspen Seminar on Values and Society, Nerola, 2010

                    The Aspen Seminar on Values and Society, conducted in English and held in collaboration with The Aspen Institute, followed the same format as the seminar held in Moltrasio (Como) on March 5-7, 2010. Aimed at a diverse group of participants, the event involved members of the Aspen Junior Fellows and young leaders from Italy and abroad. The debate was significantly enriched by the diversity of the participants’ personal and professional backgrounds and nationalities.
                  • Moltrasio (COMO)
                    • 5 March 2010
                     
                     

                    Aspen Seminar on Values and Society, Moltrasio, 2010

                      For the fourth consecutive year and in collaboration with The Aspen Institute, the Aspen Seminar on Values and Society was held in Italy. Since 1951, this series of seminars, which is conducted in English, has been the widely-acclaimed cornerstone program of the Aspen Institute tradition in the United States. This latest event in the series was aimed at Italian and overseas participants who, through an analysis and discussion of selected readings from classical and contemporary authors, debated the major universal values and their relationship with the burning issues of today.

                    • Milan
                      • 22 February 2010
                       
                       

                      Increasing Italy’s exports

                        The roundtable got underway with an examination of the twofold characterization of Italian exports that has, for over a decade, been a core theme in public debate over the competitiveness of the Italian economy in the age of globalization – one which sees exports both as a driver of Italy’s growth and, at the same time, as a reflection of the outward-looking nature of the Italian production system.

                      • Milan
                        • 8 February 2010
                         
                         

                        Italy’s cultural roots

                          Roots in the plural, put together like a mosaic of contributions and meanings that are sometimes even at variance: the foundations of Italian culture, it was suggested at this roundtable discussion, cannot be otherwise described. Formed from a diverse array of knowledge, customs and learning, Italian culture has over time developed a pluralistic unity.

                        • Milan
                          • 1 February 2010
                           
                           

                          Obama and Europe: close or distant?

                            Discussions at this talk-debate, organized in collaboration with ISPI and TG1, focused on assessing the first year of Obama’s presidency, and examining the economic and financial crisis and the mechanisms developed to overcome it, as well as the relationship between the new US administration and Europe.

                          • Rome
                            • 21 January 2010
                             
                             

                            Finding alternative indicators of well-being and growth in Italy

                              The debate over the need to broaden the scope of economic indicators – and more particularly, moving beyond measurements of GDP – has inspired a wide range of studies on the topic both in Italy and abroad. This roundtable event examined a recent Aspen Institute Italia-Fondazione Edison study entitled “Italy in the new geo-economy of the G-20”, which aims to contribute further to this discussion. The study reveals an Italy that is better-placed than indicated by traditional rankings and compares favorably with other industrialized economies in numerous fields.

                            • Rome
                              • 14 January 2010
                               
                               

                              Beyond GDP: quantity and quality of growth

                                Proceedings at this roundtable discussion got underway with the acknowledgement that, in recent years, consideration of the question of how to measure economic performance and social progress has gone far beyond the concept of Gross Domestic Product. This is true of the efforts of national statistical institutes, major international organizations, as well as the academic and research sphere. Today, there is a vast array of knowledge and statistical data available, enabling a much more comprehensive grasp of economic activities and their actual value.

                              • Berlin
                                • 17 April 2009
                                 
                                 

                                Europe on the edge: the weak links and the Russia link

                                  The current economic crisis is subjecting the entire “EU system” to conflicting pressures. On the one hand, the search for a synergistic and coordinated approach to economic policies would undoubtedly be facilitated if its joint institutions were performing well.

                                • Rome
                                  • 17 December 2009
                                   
                                   

                                  The future of Europe

                                    During this lecture, it was highlighted that 2009 marks two important events for Europe: the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and, with the coming into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on December 1, the end of the third stage in the construction of Europe, which during the period 1990-2009 saw a major enlargement of the Union to include new members together with a first attempt at establishing a European Constitution.

                                  • Milan
                                    • 14 December 2009
                                     
                                     

                                    Italy’s banking system after the financial crisis

                                      The National Conference got underway with the observation that one of the negative effects of the international financial crisis has been to halt debate on the problems afflicting the savings market in Italy, and on what measures are needed to overcome them. These problems were already beginning to emerge as early as the late 1990s, but they have become more evident as a result of the crisis.

                                    • Rome
                                      • 27 November 2009
                                       
                                       

                                      Politics, science and innovation across the Atlantic

                                        The starting point for the discussions at this event was scientific method, with an emphasis on the complex and often problematic interaction of the “exact” sciences with politics and, more particularly, with the media – an indispensable vehicle for getting through to the general public and hence, indirectly, to leaders. It was stressed that complete adherence by physicists and biologists to professional ethics is essential if knowledge is to be used properly in addressing many social and economic problems.

                                      • Milan
                                        • 22 November 2009
                                         
                                         

                                        For a new creative leadership: culture and innovation for economic growth

                                          The 14th Annual Conference of the Friends of Aspen, held at the Palazzo Litta in Milan, featured a debate on the ways in which a combination of culture and innovation could give rise to new forms of leadership capable of revitalizing Italian economic life – particularly its entrepreneurial scene.

                                          As is now customary, the Conference – chaired for the first time by the group’s new president, Beatrice Trussardi – also provided an opportunity to introduce new members to the group and to present the group’s activities to them.