Rome, 18 March 2022 –To tie in with the publication of Aspenia 96 (in Italian), Aspen Institute Italia will be holding an Aspenia Talk on “The future of currency” in digital mode at 18:00 on 23 March. The panel will be held on the Zoom platform and will be open to the press.
What was already an ongoing digital revolution accelerated with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, foregrounding it as a concern. Indeed, people in their daily lives and businesses have been inundated with digital-driven processes that are often taken for granted and in need of proper governance. As with all changes, the digital revolution is capable of generating unity and inclusion but can also divide and exclude. In that sense, the two principle perspectives from which to examine it are culture and infrastructure.
Taxation is not only one of the pillars of modern democracy, but can also be a significant resource for development. This is even truer in our current post-pandemic phase, when governments are being called upon to undertake some major transformational processes.
The space industry is in rapid expansion. The space component is gaining importance in the defense sector, but dual-use technologies have become equally decisive with the massive development of instrumentation for observation of the Earth and its atmosphere within the context of environmental concerns. Meanwhile the rapid evolution of satellite communications toward the creation of satellite constellations has profound implications for the business and consumer services they can offer as well as for satellite navigation.
This meeting was part of the broader Aspen Initiative in Favor of Pure Science – a project aimed at raising awareness in civil society of the strategic importance of pure science, not only as relevant to scientific study but also in terms of its fundamental service to humanity in general.
The euro is celebrating its first twenty years as a success but also in the awareness that much remains to be done. The overwhelming majority of European citizens consider the single currency a part of their identity and view it favorably; surely, the introduction of the euro simplified economic and commercial activities. Yet, not to be underestimated is the problem it created, particularly for a country like Italy, by eliminating the possibility of using exchange rates as a competitive devaluation tool.
Promoting women in the study of STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) is a global challenge. As statistics and research show, however, the case of Italy is especially urgent. The pandemic having had a particularly negative impact on women in terms of work and social life, additional legislative and other efforts in support of women’s more active role are currently underway.
As acknowledged during the recent Italy-led G20, the empowerment of women is an international issue of undeniable importance. Making the transition from awareness to profound changes in rules and practices requires the creation of global networks at political, diplomatic and governmental levels – in other words, in all decision-making processes.
Italy’s 2021 economic recovery, an excellent sign for the future, was led especially by domestic consumption and other segments such as construction that enjoyed the benefits of fiscal incentives, and thus offers a good point of departure for 2022. This despite national and global level threats that include increased energy and raw materials prices, the slowdown triggered by the fourth pandemic wave, and bureaucratic snags that could obstruct the timely manufacture and consignment of the machinery needed for the digital transition.
The current situation in Russia raises a highly important question with regard to peace and security in Europe and, in a broader sense, the very (…)Transatlantic Forum on Russia
The dollar remains strong and, despite a few crises, is still the world’s preeminent reserve currency. The euro, on the other hand – although it does represent a solid and advanced economy – has not managed to become a reserve currency capable of replacing the dollar. The currency “multipolarism” now emerging – difficult to construct yet certainly inexorable – is going to include the phenomenon of cryptocurrencies. The trend is toward a multipolar system with one dollar/euro area and another consisting of many of those currencies currently located outside that area.
The European Union and its member states have been ramping up efforts over the past two years to combat climate change and decarbonize as many sectors as possible, from standpoints of both policy and the economy. The European Commission published its Green Deal in December 2019 and subsequent Fit-For-55 legislative package in July 2021, which set some very ambitious decarbonization goals. These included a 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (as compared with 1990 values) by the end of 2030 and complete carbon neutrality within the year 2050.
