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Italy

  • New York
    • 10 February 2015
     
     

    Italy: we are open for business

      Firm grounds for optimism clouded by fears of old: this was the sentiment most repeated throughout the debate at the third “Italy meets the United States of America” Summit in New York, with this year’s edition entitled “Italy: we are open for business”. The event, organized by the Italian Business & Investment Initiative, Aspen Institute Italia, and the Council for Relations between Italy and the United States, was aimed at illustrating to US investors the opportunities offered by Italy for incoming and outgoing investment.

    • New York
      • 28 February 2014
       
       

      The economic future of Europe and the US, the TTIP implications and investment opportunities in Italy

        Organized in collaboration with the Italian Business & Investment Initiative, this international workshop highlighted a renewed openness towards investing in Italy precisely because it possesses – albeit frequently not well-known – assets of interest to investors. It was stressed, however, that implementing (not merely announcing or adopting) reforms, and providing certainty, consistency and a business-friendly environment, remain the real challenges to overcome, as there is fierce competition between nations to attract foreign investment.

      • Rome
        • 18 February 2015
         
         

        Competitiveness and Italy’s job market

          Kick-starting proceedings at this national roundtable event was recognition that debate on the state of the labor market in Italy and reflection on how the country measures up with conditions and models in other countries (Germany and the Netherlands in particular) are now more than ever imperative, at a time when the jobless rate is higher than the EU average (and is, indeed, the highest for youth unemployment), and when manufacturing output and consumer prices are in decline.

        • Rome
          • 20 May 2015
           
           

          Markets, competition, rules: Italy, Europe, and everyone else

            Antitrust regulations take a truly dynamic approach to the issue in question.  They adapt to the continual evolution of the markets, and objectives evolve with time.  Globalization and the international crisis are both factors that have a significant effect on competition. The original inspiration behind America’s 1890 Sherman Act has more-or-less been forgotten but its objective, in fact, was to protect small businesses from “the giants”.

          • Venice
            • 9 May 2014
             
             

            Development strategies for tourism

              Debate at this ASL session focused on examining the impact in Italy of global developments in tourism, with the participants acknowledging from the outset that both quantitative and qualitative changes in the industry require the country to formulate appropriate strategies if it wishes to ensure that the sector remains a key lever of its economy.

            • Venice
              • 9 May 2014
               
               

              Governing complexity in the country system: challenges, priorities and Italy’s choices

                The participants at this ASL seminar noted that Europe has made it past the most acute phase of the economic and financial crisis, but is still struggling to embark on a virtuous process of sweeping and sustained growth.

                It was felt that in order to accomplish this, the Member States need to fully seize the opportunities offered by the digital revolution and confront the associated challenges and risks – including to the quality of democracy – arising from the change that this technological paradigm brings with it.

              • Venice
                • 9 May 2014
                 
                 

                The Aspen Italia City of Venice Forum. Venice: a model for smart cities?

                  Proceedings at this Aspen Italia City of Venice Forum got underway with recognition by those present of the difficulty in unambiguously defining what constitutes a “smart city”. On the one hand, it can be associated with the integrated application of innovative technologies to the management of a city, and on the other, it evokes the adoption of methodologies to optimize and coordinate low-cost solutions and best practices already in use, or at least already known of.

                • Rome
                  • 20 January 2014
                   
                   

                  From banks to competitive enterprises

                    Leading in to discussions at this Aspen Junior Fellows event was the observation that 2014 is the launch year for the European Banking Union, the product of what have been difficult compromises between the various countries involved after six years of financial crisis and two recessions.

                  • Rome
                    • 19 March 2014
                     
                     

                    Of virtue and necessity: privatization to spur growth in Italy

                      Proceedings at this national roundtable got underway with participants observing that Italy periodically looks to privatization as a means to restoring the fragile fortunes of its public finances. Yet while the increasingly straitened condition of these finances is what gives rise, from time to time, to the need to engage in such sell-offs, privatization cannot and should not merely entail a quick grab for cash. Indeed, the roundtable saw a number of different aspects of privatization discussed.

                    • Milan
                      • 4 June 2012
                       
                       

                      Striking a balance between a fair tax system and economic growth in Italy

                        Proceedings at this National Roundtable examining the link between fiscal equity and growth in Italy got underway with the observation that, according to the Italian Constitution, taxation, as well as enabling the delivery of services and benefits essential to the welfare and progress of citizens, should also help overcome social inequalities through the application of redistributive justice criteria. This principle of “fairness” in setting tax levels takes on an even greater significance when, as is currently happening, social and economic disparities widen.

                      • Milano
                        • 7 May 2012
                         
                         

                        Reforming welfare in Italy: public and private sectors for a new social pact

                          At this roundtable session dedicated to the subject of Italian welfare reform, it was noted that European welfare models have come under pressure from major demographic, economic and social changes, including progressively aging populations, rising expectations for healthcare, increased risks of non-self-sufficiency, sporadic employment and income, and concerns over public debt, which have conspired to make healthcare and welfare systems devised in the past gradually more unsustainable.

                        • Rome
                          • 11 July 2012
                           
                           

                          Promoting Italy’s image: focusing on strong points to improve competitiveness

                            The starting point for discussions at this national roundtable session was the observation that, in this time of crisis, revamping Italy’s image is not just a strategic priority, but also a pressing necessity. The problem was seen as originating, paradoxically, from within the country itself, with Italians engaging in some sort of exercise in self-flagellation by talking down their homeland whenever abroad.

                          • Roma
                            • 8 November 2012
                             
                             

                            Immigration and integration: challenges for the Italian society

                              Discussion at this national roundtable focusing on immigration opened with the participants citing figures showing that foreigners account for 7.5% of Italy’s population (up from 1% in 1991) and contribute over 12% of national GDP. Many migrants have chosen to settle in Italy permanently, have bought a house (20%), and have children attending Italian schools.

                            • Florence
                              • 18 November 2011
                               
                               

                              Italy in 10 years’ time: from crisis to growth

                                This seminar in the latest ASL series got underway with the observation that the way the current crisis has evolved confirms the necessity of moving beyond ex-post and localized solutions that deal with emergencies country-by-country and as and when they arise. The participants pointed instead to the need for a comprehensive strategy, based on three pillars. The first of these is the adoption of deficit-reduction programs at the national level. The second is the creation of common funds and institutions with more resources and more effective governance.

                              • Cernobbio
                                • 11 March 2011
                                 
                                 

                                Italian leaders abroad

                                  International openness and the circulation of people and talent during key stages of professional training and development were the central topics of discussion at this Third Conference on “Italian leaders abroad”.

                                • Florence
                                  • 18 November 2011
                                   
                                   

                                  Italians at home and abroad: shared heritage, success stories and internationalization

                                    In this Aspen Seminar for Leaders, dedicated to Italian talent at home and abroad, it was noted that perhaps as in no other Western country, culture has been a unifying factor in Italy: the sheer force of Italians having ancient roots in common and an extraordinary shared history has sustained an unbroken national identity over the centuries, despite the country being for a long time fragmented into several smaller states.

                                  • Rome
                                    • 8 February 2011
                                     
                                     

                                    Priority interventions in Italy’s south: avoiding a two-speed country

                                      Debate at this National Interest Conference got underway with the observation that overcoming the social and economic divide between Northern and Southern Italy requires a profound rethink of intervention policies together with an overall return to efficiency and effectiveness in public action.