The participants at this ASL seminar observed that history has always been marked by periods of change – the current one being no exception. The failure of the economic paradigms that underpinned Western development for decades has triggered a widespread sense of fear, which has translated into mistrust and instinctive and irrational behaviors. In the economic and social field, protectionist tendencies have re-emerged (despite an awareness of the damage that this approach caused in the past) and, in an attempt to protect “one’s own” (understood as beliefs but also as material goods), there has been a preference towards pointing the finger externally, at anything “other”, “different” or outside the “known”. The populism that has gripped a fearful population has unhesitatingly bordered on the xenophobic, in the hope that by creating barriers and walls a solution to the crisis might be found.
However, it was felt that the time has come for a return to “political” action in the highest sense of that term. National and international institutions, as well as citizens, must make efforts to build a common good that goes beyond individual interests. It is only right for the primacy of the political sphere over the market to be reaffirmed, through the return of a State that is not omnipotent. In the midst of the current crisis, the very notion of the legitimacy of public intervention in the economy has changed. The reduced economic growth that is likely to characterize the next few years will require a more active role from the public sector as well as greater tax regulation, in order to iron out inequalities and to revive discourse on civil and social values.
A multilateral approach to dealing with these issues would seem to be more advisable, including in the area of foreign policy, where the involvement of emerging countries has already been ensured through the crucial transition from the G8 to the G20. In an increasingly interactive world, where migration has become a widespread norm (as well as being accepted in principle), progress will only be manageable through fast rates of development in new economies.
The participants emphasized that the G20 summit in London (which saw 90% of the global economy and 60% of the world’s inhabitants represented) began to address this changed reality, in the process giving a sense of movement towards a world that is once again regulated.
Before the international economic crisis, people asked what the State did for them. Now the approach has changed, with the focus being on what we can do for each other. People are no longer thinking of themselves as individuals swept along by everyday vicissitudes, but rather as cognizant of the times they are living in. They are starting to act in the future interests of their community once more.
Against this backdrop, it was felt that the Italian State cannot shirk the responsibility of supporting the national economy, with clear preventative measures, starting with those aimed at enhancing Italy’s specialized sectors. Emphasis must once again be placed on sectors such as mechanical engineering, fashion and food, without forgetting more innovative sectors such as biosciences and technologies with applications for energy production and environmental protection. The Seminar concluded that in order to create an optimistic rather than a fear-based society, the education system needs to be improved and a firm commitment from the business sector is required – as is clear direction from the State.