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Italy

  • 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.

      • 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.

              • 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.

                    • 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.

                                • Venice
                                  • 22 May 2009
                                   
                                   

                                  Economic policies, credit systems and business strategies: how to overcome the crisis

                                    The crisis we are experiencing has not spared anyone, taking in the economy, society and institutions. It has hit the financial sector, spilled over into the real economy and labor market, and called into question the role of the State and international organizations. The crisis has also raised doubts regarding our model of development, the ability of the political sphere to control economic processes, and the reliability of those who had sufficient information from which to predict the worst financial disaster since the end of the Second World War and who did not do so.

                                  • Milan
                                    • 16 November 2009
                                     
                                     

                                    Simpler norms: modernizing Italy

                                      The participants at this roundtable event noted that, in terms of Italy’s economic development and competitiveness, regulatory simplification represents a fundamental challenge for the modernization of the country. Unnecessary red tape – the result of the application of obsolete laws – places a burden on both individuals and businesses which effectively amounts to a form of hidden taxation. Put in other terms, it represents an engaged handbrake on an economy that needs to take off again.

                                    • 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).