Italy

Milan

28 March 2011

Italy’s past and national identity: a reflection

National identity versus fierce local allegiances; the dichotomy of Northern and Southern Italy versus a creeping uniformity precipitated by globalization; Italy as an old idea already existing in Dante, versus a relatively young nation-State born a mere century and a half ago; a country seemingly intent on dwelling on its own shortcomings internally, versus a country admired elsewhere for its art, culture and lifestyle: this was the contradictory and complex image of Italy which emerged at this national interest event devoted to examining the country’s identity and shared history and exper

Milan

21 March 2011

Local dynamism in Italy: the keys to success

Kick-starting the discussion at this National Interest roundtable session was the observation that local-area dynamism is an essential ingredient for countries like Italy whose economy is characterized by a plurality of development models. The major contrasts existing between different regions of the country, it was stressed, need to be understood and addressed in order to foster proper growth at the local level that is both mindful of territorial specificities as well as capable of meeting the challenges posed by globalization.

Rome

6 July 2011

The role of international businesses in Italy’s economic growth

This roundtable saw those in attendance debate the role that foreign-owned firms play in the Italian economy, particularly with a view to identifying approaches and measures that could enable foreign direct investment inflows to be improved.

Rome

26 May 2011

Italy in the future tense. Values, culture, skills, competitiveness

This Aspen Junior Fellow Breakfast event saw the participants make a concerted effort to examine the individual challenges facing Italy through a broader frame of reference. It was noted that the long-term inertial forecast is one of a country that is aging and characterized by increasing levels of immigration, a widening North-South divide, the persistence of a detrimental public deficit, and insufficient productivity to maintain the level of prosperity hitherto achieved. This outlook, it was observed, feeds into a longstanding rhetoric of decline and defeat that is rife in Italy.

Rome

12 October 2011

Culture, politics, the economy: Italy’s national interest, from the country’s unification to the present day

In the beginning, there was the catch-cry of “liberty and independence”: the Risorgimento ideal par excellence, expressing the longing of generations of those aspiring for an Italian nation, who – from the Congress of Vienna to 1861, as well as in the bellicose sequels of the following decade – devoted their thoughts and deeds and blood and hopes to the unification of Italy.

Rome

14 September 2011

Sharing our future: forging an alliance between state and market for a new social contract

At this roundtable session dedicated to the future of Italy’s pension system, it was observed that population aging, the impending retirement of the baby boomer generation, the prolonged period of economic stagnation currently being experienced and dwindling public resources are driving Italy, as well as most other developed nations, to tackle questions regarding the relationship between the role of public and private social security schemes. Today, pensions, healthcare and welfare, in their various forms, are no longer being delivered solely by the state.

Milan

28 November 2011

The “green economy”: new opportunities for Italy

The key objective to emerge from the discussions at this National Conference was that of transforming a constraint into an opportunity. The green economy must be made the cornerstone of a new, more sustainable and enduring development model. It was observed that, in recent years, particularly in the wake of the protracted effects of the worst economic and financial crisis in recent history, the world has begun to stop treating the “environmental factor” as a possible limitation on freedom of enterprise, but rather to see it from a more comprehensive perspective.

Cernobbio

5 November 2010

Culture, leadership, social responsibility

The discussion in this session focused on the role of culture in the wake of the global crisis. In this regard, the participants highlighted the increasing search for a more harmonious, sustainable and forward-looking social model, yet one that is anchored in the roots of national identity. With the global crisis, this quest for a new kind of paradigm of development has, even in Italy, once again focused what perhaps was otherwise languishing interest on the crucial importance of “culture”.

Cernobbio

11 April 2010

Italian leaders abroad

Uncategorized

This National Conference provided an opportunity for comparing the experiences of Italians who have managed to carve out brilliant careers and hold very high-level positions outside Italy, with a view to contributing to a better understanding of the country’s problems and areas of potential, and to identifying better long-term relationship-building and global integration prospects.

Milan

8 February 2010

Italy’s cultural roots

Roots in the plural, put together like a mosaic of contributions and meanings that are sometimes even at variance: the foundations of Italian culture, it was suggested at this roundtable discussion, cannot be otherwise described. Formed from a diverse array of knowledge, customs and learning, Italian culture has over time developed a pluralistic unity.

Rome

21 January 2010

Finding alternative indicators of well-being and growth in Italy

The debate over the need to broaden the scope of economic indicators – and more particularly, moving beyond measurements of GDP – has inspired a wide range of studies on the topic both in Italy and abroad. This roundtable event examined a recent Aspen Institute Italia-Fondazione Edison study entitled “Italy in the new geo-economy of the G-20”, which aims to contribute further to this discussion. The study reveals an Italy that is better-placed than indicated by traditional rankings and compares favorably with other industrialized economies in numerous fields.

Milan

26 April 2010

Italy’s strong and weak points

The opening premise of this roundtable discussion was that a differential of more than ten percentage points has separated Italy from the average growth rate of the eurozone countries over the last 10 years. Whilst the growth rates of some of these countries have now been revealed as unsustainable, based as they were on an escalation in private and/or public borrowings, it was acknowledged that a comparison with the growth of more virtuous countries, such as Germany and, in particular, France, is still unfavorable to Italy.

Milan

3 May 2010

The economic dimension of crime

The roundtable session opened with an acknowledgement by participants that the processes of globalization have made the fight against crime more complicated. Criminal activities have spread worldwide, expanding with the internationalization of trade and growth in migration flows. At the same time, however, organized crime has maintained a strong local flavor, due to its embeddedness in local communities and its permeation into the fabric of society.

Rome

9 June 2010

The frontiers of identity

Identity is a word that has multiple connotations. Paradoxically, there is not just one but many kinds of identities, whose characteristics, origins and development processes are quite different from one another. Individual identity, for example, is often brought into question at the very moment it is affirmed: Saint Augustine explains that sense of doubt in fact characterizes the fundamental moments in one’s life. The ego becomes aware of itself by a process of elimination: I am all, minus that which I am not.

Cernobbio

5 November 2010

The industrial system, territory and social cohesion

This seminar got underway with the participants noting that the Italian industrial system has succeeded in weathering the global crisis whilst maintaining the country’s position as a leading manufacturer both in Europe and worldwide. The more or less stable performance of the Italian production system has enabled the economy to respond to stimulus, though the signs of recovery remain weak.

Cernobbio

5 November 2010

Italy and future challenges. Heading towards 2020

This session of the Aspen Seminars for Leaders examined various institutional scenarios, viewed from the perspective of changes taking place at the European and global level and the reform processes that these call for within Italy. It was observed that, on the one hand, the search for more stable global macroeconomic balances has been accompanied by European debate concerning the tightening of fiscal regulation, changes to the Growth and Stability Pact, and putting in place adequate mechanisms to deal with emergency situations.

Cernobbio

5 November 2010

Investing in knowledge: more innovation, better infrastructure, new school system

In this seminar, the participants examined what were identified as the major areas requiring action to enable Italy to face the new and increasingly impelling global challenges. The three areas singled out were: innovation policies, tangible and intangible knowledge-system infrastructure, and education models conducive to promoting employment and competitiveness.

Milan

9 October 2009

Jump-starting economic growth

The participants at this talk and debate session were reminded that the main priority on the economic agenda of Western countries is the immediate promotion of sustainable recovery. The fact that there are 22 million unemployed people in Europe is indicative of the social hardship caused by the recession. Linked to this surplus production capacity is a reduced ability to use leveraging (the very mechanism that induced “euphoria” within the economic system thereby triggering the crisis).

Rome

27 October 2009

Projects for Italy’s 150th anniversary

The seminar got underway with the participants recalling that when Charles De Gaulle met André Malraux in the aftermath of the Second World War, he said to him, “D’abord le passé”, meaning that a sense of history enables each of us to look back at the past to find our way out of a current critical phase and work towards building the future.

Cernobbio

27 September 2009

Italian successes and talented operators around the world

The experience gained by Italians around the world, the challenges that will need to be faced to build global skills, and the ability of the national economy to operate as a global actor are all aspects of a single issue, namely: how to make the most of overseas Italian talent. Talented Italians are finding it increasingly easier to emigrate rather than build reasonable career prospects for themselves at home.