welfare

Milan

14 June 2015

A positive economy: shaping the future

Discussions at this year’s Annual Conference for the Friends of Aspen centered on the long-term economic priority of sustainable development for future generations, viewed as an important strategic objective at the macro level for individual national economies, and at the micro level for companies and other market players. It was noted that various competing economic models aimed at achieving this goal are emerging, including the sharing economy, the civil economy, and the positive economy.

Venice

22 May 2015

Demographics and migration in Europe: multiple challenges for complex societies

The global imbalances reflected in demographic trends, in terms of economic and safety levels, are huge, and must be considered as a central factor in devising any realistic policy options. Whatever happens, there will be waves of migrants heading for Europe, as well as North America and the other wealthy countries in the world, with numbers undoubtedly increasing whenever there are any major conflicts underway. Faced with this reality and given the difference in the number of young workers compared to pensioners and the overall burden of the continent’s welfare syst

Brescia

15 July 2014

Health, environment and lifestyle: can Italy be a model of sustainable well‐being?

Spearheading discussions at this national roundtable discussion was the affirmation that Italy could become a major force in sustainable prosperity, but in order to fully achieve this goal, it must work further on resolving its economic, environmental and social problems, and continue to maintain its strengths. While the country has an outstanding track record in health, wellbeing and lifestyle, there was a consensus that it must not rest on its laurels.

Rome

31 July 2014

From vulnerabilities to resilience: strengthening human development

Education, welfare and the gender gap were at the top of the agenda of discussions at this international roundtable, which featured guest speaker Khalid Malik, Director of the UNDP’s Human Development Report Office. The Office’s 2014 report sets out to measure progress in long-term human development against three main areas of achievement: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge, and a decent standard of living. Also taken into account are the capacity to enjoy equal opportunity of access, and to exercise the universal right to the same opportunities in life.

Venice

12 July 2013

Challenges and opportunities for a changing society: older, wiser, healthier

The point of departure for discussions at this ASL session was an acknowledgement that the gradual but inexorable process of population aging is having profound effects on the demographic and economic structure of societies. In this regard, the participants pointed to forecast trends that speak volumes: in all developed countries, and especially in Italy, Japan and Germany, the proportion of elderly people relative to the total population will continue to rise substantially.

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.

Milan

25 July 2011

New forms of poverty: social, economic and political implications

This National Conference got underway with the observation that, in Italy as in Europe, emerging forms of poverty have mainly affected segments of the population that were previously relatively protected but that have now become socially and economically vulnerable. This phenomenon has also been accompanied by the onset of other hardships, stemming from the intensification of migration flows.

Rome

14 January 2010

Beyond GDP: quantity and quality of growth

Proceedings at this roundtable discussion got underway with the acknowledgement that, in recent years, consideration of the question of how to measure economic performance and social progress has gone far beyond the concept of Gross Domestic Product. This is true of the efforts of national statistical institutes, major international organizations, as well as the academic and research sphere. Today, there is a vast array of knowledge and statistical data available, enabling a much more comprehensive grasp of economic activities and their actual value.

Rome

12 February 2009

Ageing societies and sustainable health systems

This international workshop, dedicated to the issue of the sustainability of health systems in the face of an ageing population, highlighted the fact that the phenomenon affects all countries, whether developed or developing. Since the middle of the 19th century, life expectancy at birth in all industrialized nations has doubled and, in some cases, more than doubled. At the same time, birth rates and fertility rates have fallen and, in Western countries, have dropped to a quarter of their levels at the beginning of the 20th century.

Lecce

23 October 2009

Business, productivity, active society: a recipe for growth

The participants in this seminar observed that after the shock of the crisis, the economy is searching for ways and means of coming out of the recession with a new model for growth. The first signs of recovery are raising hopes everywhere that the worst may be over – even in Italy. However, despite indications emerging from the financial market, the impact of the crisis on the real economy and employment are far from being a thing of the past.

Rome

22 April 2009

New forms of social solidarity in Italy

As a concept, fraternity, the most obscure of the three words in the French revolutionary motto, has been sidelined for some considerable time, but today, the notion of solidarity that it represents is one that is giving many of us food for thought. At a time when we have reached a historical and cultural crossroads marked by an obvious global economic crisis that many believe has triggered the huge identity crisis that western society is currently experiencing, it is also providing the rationale behind some very real political proposals aimed at resolving the situation.

Rome

11 June 2009

The future of welfare in Italy: opportunites and social responsability

The aim of this meeting was to debate the issues raised by a White Paper entitled “Living well in an active society: the future of the Italian welfare model”, recently published by the Italian Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Policies, and to focus specifically on the concerns facing young people in Italy today.