Building an interconnected society: infrastructure, investment, innovation and integration
The pandemic has had a considerable impact on lifestyles, both temporarily and longer term (structurally). Even after the arrival of an anti-coronavirus vaccine, an interconnected society is going to have to recuperate a good number of physical living spaces in order to get back to “normal”. That means fewer distance-based activities, some of which, however, are bound to remain useful and will tend to be employed more as we move forward than they were in pre-emergency times.
The cum-Covid recovery: comparing best practices. How to combine health and business
The main challenge associated with the spread of Covid-19 into the autumn/winter is going to be healthcare facilities’ ability to diagnose and treat a growing number of virus cases (as per all predictions) and distinguish them from seasonal flu. While Covid countermeasures will surely contribute significantly to reducing the incidence of regular flu, the annual illness will in any case continue to deplete healthcare resources.
The Recovery Fund: how to revive Italy’s economy?
Approval of the Recovery Fund is an important sign that Europe is finally ready to embrace a shared development process; what had long seemed a remote possibility has begun to materialize. Nevertheless, the most delicate part of the process – putting political consensus into practise – now begins for the European institutions and members concerned.
Dealing with complexity today: how to launch the recovery
The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown that followed has dealt a hard blow to Italian enterprise. According to Bank of Italy estimates, the 2020 GDP contraction will be somewhere between 9 and 13%.
Italy, Europe and India: building a post-covid economy
The world is in the midst of an unprecedented health and economic crisis, and there seems to be a vacuum in global leadership (certainly of US leadership). No single country can offer an effective recipe for resolution. The EU, at least, has recently demonstrated the ability to come together and agree on a large economic support package, but there remains a need for coordination at an even broader level. This, in turn, may require a consensus on common standards, from fair trade to scientific cooperation to specific health issues.
The international economy between globalism and nationalism. A new image for Italy
No real global strategy or collective response against the pandemic crisis has yet emerged. Even for those who in the past have led effective coordinated responses to crises –e.g. international terrorism (2001) and the 2008-2009 financial downturn (in other words the United States) – have for the first time ever gone “missing in action”. Thus, at least at the start, it has been everyone for themselves.
Of pandemics and resilience. People, communities and development post Covid-19
The pandemic has unmasked the fragility of our self-assured, globalized, skill-savvy world. Even the most economically advanced countries’ primary response to this unknown virus was a low-tech social distancing, which has necessarily foregrounded the limitations of human action and knowledge. The Socratic paradox “I know that I do not know” encourages the kind of continuing fortification of basic research that calls for increased funding from the Italian government.
I nostri Anni Venti. Come uscire dalla sindrome del lockdown
According to Ipsos data, the fears of 54% of Italians of a pandemic outbreak in April have ebbed considerably. The June data show less concern over contagion (one-third of Italians) and more over economic recession. The Covid-19 contagion peak triggered a broad sharing of values such as social cohesion, interdependence, civic sensitivity, the importance of volunteerism and a greater assumption of responsibility for social capital and faith in institutions – with the exception of the court system and the European Union.
For a sustainable and responsible economy: the role of finance
Sustainability has been a concern in the financial world for some time now, with steady and significant growth over recent years in investments centered on ESG (environment, sustainability and governance) criteria. Far from slowing that trend, the Corona virus epidemic is proving an accelerator, with investors seizing on the opportunities associated with a “green” recovery and reconstruction.
Leadership and communications after the pandemic
Italy’s measured reopening after the acute stage of the pandemic has been distinguished by a steady flow of information, but that Italy has yet not learned how best to promote itself is problematic. Here’s the paradox: although rich in appeal of various sorts, the country remains incapable of making the most of its strong points.
How the audiovisual industry can stimulate economic growth and social cohesion
The Covid-19 emergency has hit the audio-visual sector at a moment of profound transition, and has accelerated a series of trends. The lockdown has had a noteworthy impact on the production of digital content that has run parallel to a sharp rise in web use. On-demand platforms have seen a spike in subscriptions, while television networks have had to face a slump in advertising revenue with the suspension of some important sources of programming, such as sports events.
Government, finance and business team up on economic recovery and competitiveness
Italia ed Europa stanno provando a superare la fase dell’emergenza legata alla pandemia di coronavirus. Si tratta di un frangente delicato in cui gli Stati, le banche e le imprese devono lavorare insieme per lasciare alle spalle la crisi e costruire una “nuova normalità”. Se in questo momento la priorità è offrire liquidità alle imprese e gli strumenti messi in campo sono le moratorie, le garanzie pubbliche e il sostegno del canale bancario, nel futuro diventerà cruciale riparare ai danni creati dal virus e sostenere la capitalizzazione delle aziende.
Financing the recovery. Europe, Germany, Italy
The main thread of the meeting could be summarized in this initial question: How can political relations between two culturally similar countries like Italy and Germany be so fragile and apparently unstable despite the solid trade relationship they enjoy? The parameters of the search for an answer were broad and deep, proof of the historic breadth of an Italo-German relationship dating back to the Renaissance and marked today by the shared values and principles of the European Union.
More and better jobs in the great global transformation
The future of work was the main theme of the digital panel discussion set up with the collaboration of the national council of the association of job consultants, where a paper entitled “More and better jobs in the great global transformation” was presented.
The discussion focused on the difficulties reviving productive activities such as services in the presence of a pandemic. Much will depend on the effectiveness of the measures adopted to ensure the survival of businesses and labor relations during the lockdown and as the recovery begins.
The future of the European economy: the new Commission’s choices
The European Union is confronting a series of long-term structural challenges that, nevertheless, require the immediate implementation of high impact, broad-spectrum policies. An initial issue is climate change, naturally a planet-wide concern for which Europe has already set goals, such as carbon neutrality within 2050 (which will obviously have direct effects on the energy sector).
AI: a new alliance between technology, business and society
The Artificial Intelligence debate, which started back in the 1950s, has become particularly topical today. The benefits of AI are recognized as undeniable but, at the same time, there is growing fear and resistance owing to the evolution of the man/machine – or subject/tool – relationship.
Assessing risk: business in global disorder
Prospects for the global system, in economic/financial as much as political/strategic terms, are suffering the lack of a clear-cut ordering principle. There is no doubt that the international order is changing: Fragmentation and insufficient governance are a serious risk, with the rise of problems that cannot be confronted at national, and possibly not even regional level, ranging from financial rules to big data and privacy, and from climate change to migration.
The US economy and its global impact: internal trends, trade tentions and alliance management
The global economic picture is raising concerns over the (partially synchronized) slowdown being observed in various regions and the uncertainty caused by trade tensions, resulting in a mix of cyclical economic factors, financial concerns (fiscal and monetary policies, debt amount) and geopolitical issues with a pronounced technological dimension. United States and European policies can determine what instruments will be adopted to address these challenges as well as long-term transatlantic cohesion.
The tech revolution and the future of business
The globalization trends of the last two decades and the resulting interdependence between countries, from trade to technological infrastructure, imply that any disruption to business activities can have consequences on a global scale. The latest geopolitical tensions suggest that such disruptions can derive from conventional measures, most recently through the imposition of bilateral tariffs, or from unconventional ones – such as cyberattacks.
The great convergence. Innovation in the energy sector and and the new economy
The technological and economic convergence of electrical and gas grids will be what marks the future energy transition, and it will be up to a modern delivery system to create a more sustainable, efficient and circular energy system. The move is toward a change in the energy mix. Indeed, although 46% of electrical power is produced today from coal and nuclear, considerable growth in the use of renewable energies is expected for 2030. The most effective management of the transition, then, will mean keeping environmental and economic sustainability in mind.
Foreign investments as a driver of growth in Italy
Italy has great potential to attract investments but many factors still hinder the influx of foreign capital. Data on the presence of multinationals offer a mottled picture. As regards the manufacturing sector, the more important of the second ranked European industrial power, nearly 20% of employees answer to foreign multinationals, a percentage that rises to 25% in the field of mechanical engineering, the pride of the “made in Italy” brand.