reforms

Roma

22 January 2014

Suggestions for Italy’s spending review

This national roundtable discussion got underway with the observation that at the heart of Italy’s spending review is the idea of reducing expenditure for the purpose of rebalancing public finances or achieving other priority objectives such as alleviating the tax burden – a concept which, in reality, is not entirely new in Italy. Indeed, soon after the unification of the Kingdom of Italy, the Historical Right (to which Sella belonged) was engaged in a process of rationalizing expenditure with a view to balancing the budget.

Rome

24 September 2014

Reforming Italy’s public administration to spur competitiveness

The participants at this National Roundtable viewed as telling that in the nigh-on seventy-year history of the Italian Republic, there have been several instances of eminent figures such as Guido Carli expressing grave concerns regarding the state of the country’s public administration. Today, after a protracted period characterized by a lack of continuity in the political and governmental helmsmanship of the state apparatus, the prevailing sense is that of an institutional and procedural milieu bereft of political leadership.

Rome

1 December 2014

The need for reforms in Italy: new challenges for new generations

In kick-starting this Meeting of the Aspen Junior Fellows group, the question was posed as to whether a relationship exists between the impetus for reform and the advent of new generations. Reference was made, in this regard, to an observation made by Thomas Jefferson, who wrote that every generation has the right to write its own constitution[1] and to adopt its own institutions.

Rome

13 November 2013

Modernizing Italy’s public administration for people and business

It was noted at this national roundtable discussion that, according to the two most well-known systems for measuring the level of economic freedom existing in a country, the extent to which public authorities function well is a fundamental indicator of the same. Similarly, it is widely acknowledged that in countries where the functioning of the public administration meets the expectations of citizens, people can even be amenable to a high level of taxation.

Rome

15 July 2010

Federalism and the challenges presented by Italy’s South

Federalism is now at the center of the Italian political debate, despite having been considered a heterodox if not inflammatory idea not even a decade ago. Reassigning roles and responsibilities among the different levels and bodies of government is a necessity shared by all advanced democracies given the increased complexity of our economies and of the relationship between citizens and the state.

Cernobbio

19 July 2009

Italy’s universities: reforms and tools to render them competitive

Reform of Italy’s universities has for months been at the center of the national public debate, coinciding with the development of plans for a government review of the area. In addition to issues relating to the governance of universities and the soundness of the system’s macro-financial structure, the participants at this Conference examined ways of making the Italian university model more efficient and merit-based, focusing predominantly on the mechanisms regulating the autonomy of individual universities and the relationship between the latter and their local business communities.