Meritocracy and competitiveness: can they go hand in hand?

Discussion opened with an analysis of how tomorrow’s leaders might approach the issue of meritocracy, especially as regards politics, and closed with an analysis of how to apply that meritocracy to the formation of human resources – from school to on-the-job training. The underlying issue is whether the demand for meritocracy is purely utopian in Italy’s economic and social context. Participants expressed many doubts; there were general misgivings about whether Italy’s current levels of competitiveness could succeed in guaranteeing prizes according to merit and a certain lack of faith in the country’s power to change. However, participants also expressed their strong belief that merit-driven dynamics remain the key to bringing Italy back to center stage, to making it a proud country, with the international role and entrepreneurial prospects it deserves. In particular, several concrete proposals were put forward to encourage and quantify meritocracy in public administrations. The conference, as usual, also provided the occasion to introduce new members, illustrate past activities and reveal future plans.