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      • Milan
        • 14 November 2008
         
         

        The city as a protagonist of change. Politics and quality of life in the future metropolis

          The seventh Annual Conference for the Aspen Junior Fellows was dedicated to the topic of the city, in the year in which, for the first time in history, more than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, as indicated in the United Nations Population Fund Report. The timeliness of this issue is confirmed by the theme of the 2010 Shanghai Expo: Better City, Better Life. By holding the conference in Milan, the challenges faced by the experimental city in its preparations for the 2015 Milan Expo were highlighted.

        • Palermo
          • 24 October 2008
           
           

          The “Italia brand”: reinforcing the country’s identity and competitiveness

            International public opinion has a well-defined image for every country. These impressions, often stereotypes, are influenced by centuries of history, the territory’s formation, the way its citizens behave, and even by chance. They tend to give preference to secondary aspects that have simply had a stronger impact on the collective imagination.

          • Palermo
            • 24 October 2008
             
             

            Quality and efficiency in public services, utilities and infrastructure

              The global financial crisis will have a major impact on the future of all of Italy’s economic system, particularly the utilities sector. Adopting an evolved Keynesian approach – above all for large infrastructures – could play a crucial role in increasing the country system’s competitiveness. The resumption of large public works – which should begin soon to help deal with this cycle of economic recession – should include identifying some extensive strategic works on which finances should be concentrated.

            • Palermo
              • 24 October 2008
               
               

              Italy’s Mezzogiorno and the national interest

                The seminar dealt with the issues of the Mezzogiorno from the viewpoint of the economic, social and institutional aspects of National Interest.

                Moreover, the theme of Italy’s Mezzogiorno does not easily lend itself to any sort of sweeping analysis. There are increasing instances of areas of high economic and technological development in Southern Italy, where even local governments have shown signs of operating effectively.

              • Palermo
                • 24 October 2008
                 
                 

                Industry in Italy: development and internationalization

                  The seminar dealt with the main challenges that the Italian economic system is facing in this difficult chapter marked by the international financial crisis, of systemic origin, whose extent and length have yet to be determined.

                • Palermo
                  • 24 October 2008
                   
                   

                  Assessing Globalization

                    The debate devoted to globalisation, as it evolved, naturally shifted its focus on financial crisis even though the analysis of the short-term aspects were quickly overcome by the medium- and long-term ones. The central question referred to the nature of the crisis: is it to be considered a cyclical or a structural change? Agreeing on the second scenario would mean that we are witnessing the breakdown of an established model and the end of capitalism and globalisation as we know it.

                  • Rome
                    • 21 October 2008
                     
                     

                    Annual Conference for the Friends of Aspen: Market, regulation, competition and SMEs

                      The 13th annual conference of the Friends of Aspen opened with a tribute to the recently deceased President of the Friends of Aspen, Mr Ennio Presutti. For the first time, the conference was held in Rome. Within the context of small and medium enterprise, the debate centered on the issue of how to foster and maintain competitiveness in a heightened geopolitical and geoeconomic context, whilst taking into account Italian national and European-level regulatory aspects.

                    • Rome
                      • 14 October 2008
                       
                       

                      Energy security and the national interest

                        By the year 2030, worldwide energy consumption, spurred by economic development in such highly populated countries as China and India, might well be 50% greater than today’s levels. Fossil fuels will continue to play a key role and hydrocarbons will be called upon to satisfy more than half the world’s demand for energy. The concentration of oil and natural gas reserves in areas of the planet that suffer from political instability complicates the scenario. Many important questions remain on the sustainability front as far as energy supply is concerned.

                      • Milan
                        • 10 October 2008
                         
                         

                        The global financial emergency: how to overcome it

                          The current financial crisis has lasted longer and been more damaging than expected, revealing the extent of market failure. The rule-free market era is over. No longer does anyone believe the “solid” economy – especially real estate – will turn into a “liquid” economy, thanks to deregulation. Widespread digital technology – a fundamental resource in globalization – does not help sell “toxic” shares: uncertainty about their worth only worsens the crisis.

                        • Rome
                          • 30 September 2008
                           
                           

                          Religion and politics in the global era

                            The upshot of this debate was that the church has every right to participate in a public debate, but the state must remain secular. Laws cannot respect only certain citizens’ beliefs, but must hold true for everyone. Therefore, a new balance must be struck between religion and politics, especially on those issues that touch people in the XXI century so closely.

                          • Cernobbio
                            • 29 September 2008
                             
                             

                            The Italian health system: sustainability, quality and responsibility

                              Demographic waves, technological innovation and citizens’ expectations: these are today’s major challenges. And, in the years to come, healthcare will become an increasingly important issue in all major countries with advanced economies and welfare systems. In the Italian system, the healthcare challenge is particularly crucial as it represents the largest public expenditure after pensions. Healthcare and pensions absorb all those resources that could be made available for other social policies.

                            • Rome
                              • 23 September 2008
                               
                               

                              Values: an obstacle or an opportunity?

                                Affirming values in an abstract way is a facile exercise; practicing and respecting values demands commitment and clear terms of reference. Such guidelines can only exist within a context of confrontation between secular values and religious ethics, the meeting point of the two representing a universal value system.

                              • Rome
                                • 23 September 2008
                                 
                                 

                                A human security approach in Afghanistan: can the Euro-American community benefit?

                                  The concept of “human security” revolves around bettering overall conditions – not just security but economic conditions – for people in a crisis or post-conflict area. It demands, therefore, the setting of different priorities as regards more traditional concepts of national security, state building and nation building.

                                • Rome
                                  • 16 September 2008
                                   
                                   

                                  Italy, Europe and Israel: building a privileged partnership

                                    Bilateral relations between Italy and Israel have intensified recently, producing some promising results, though, for the big strategic questions and economic issues, broader EU involvement is key. Partially due to 9/11, interest in the underlying motives behind problems in the Middle East and Mediterranean region has grown, and increased attention has revealed the importance of social factors and domestic policy. Such an approach highlights the singular characteristics of Israel, a country which stands out as a sort of outpost for the West in the region.

                                  • Milan
                                    • 21 July 2008
                                     
                                     

                                    Italy’s banks and the national interest

                                      Without denying the status of banks as fully-fledged businesses yet reaffirming their intrinsic difference to any other type of entrepreneurial undertaking, participants at this roundtable discussion called for banks to go back to conducting “traditional” banking activities.

                                    • Rome
                                      • 16 July 2008
                                       
                                       

                                      Fiscal federalism in Italy: improving efficiency and modernizing the country

                                        It is by now an increasingly widespread view that the implementation of the new framework of financial relations between the State and local administrations foreshadowed by the constitutional reform of 2001 represents an unavoidable priority in the political agenda of the coming months.In the current economic and financial climate, the task of finally giving substance to fiscal federalism in Italy is an opportunity not to be missed if we are to embark on a new and more modern approach to public administration and policies by bringing citizens into closer contact with the authorities respons

                                      • Rome
                                        • 15 July 2008
                                         
                                         

                                        Human rights and politics: facing the issue from a US and an Italian perspective

                                          Human rights were defined as fundamental inalienable rights of all individuals. The tradition of human rights trace back to the ancient world and was codified by Roman Law, to be then claimed as the basis for political independence by feudal entities and eventually enshrined in the Magna Charta of 1215. In its modern meaning and in relation to governments, the concept of human rights posits that governments have a duty to do no harm but also actively protect fundamental rights.There are various structural problems hindering the promotion of human rights worldwide.

                                        • Rome
                                          • 1 July 2008
                                           
                                           

                                          The American economy today and its global implications

                                            Discussion here touched on the significant slowdown of America’s economy. Theories to explain this turn of events abound: from the real estate bubble to the sub-prime housing crisis, to more general imbalances. Participants focused on the financial sector, but the dynamics of prices – both for the producer and for the consumer – were also a subject of interest.