The Staffs of Politicians
The staffs of politicians have gone through a series of phases from 1861 up to the present day. From the Unification of Italy to the end of the Second World War, their primary feature was fragmentation and disjointedness; a scarcity of responsibilities excluded political and para-political involvement, limiting them to generic support for their assigned ministers, even as regards personal affairs.
Universities, Research, Intelligence: strengthening relations
The intelligence sector has undergone enormous transformations over recent years, spurred not least by an exponential increase in the availability of and access to data sources.
Italy and the United States: a new Atlanticism
Dall’indagine demoscopica commissionata da Aspen Institute Italia emerge un’opinione pubblica italiana complessivamente consapevole delle gravità di varie sfide internazionali alla sicurezza. Si denota un certo equilibrio tra il legame transatlantico e le partnership europee, ma anche molta prudenza nell’assumere gravosi impegni nazionali all’estero. Restano alcune tradizionali differenze di opinione e percezione tra Italia e Stati Uniti, soprattutto rispetto all’uso della forza militare e ai futuri rapporti con la Russia.
Italy’s New Procurement Code
The Procurement Code is an extremely important body of legislation for today’s Italy, especially in light of the efforts required of the country by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The code’s reform, outlined in law no. 78/2022, contains some significant additions, the first and most prominent of which concerns the role of the State Council directly charged with drafting the text, and not only as a mere panel of experts.
Italy’s recovery and resilience plan: how to strengthen and accelerate the implementation phase
After two years of planning, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) has reached the point of implementation, with distributions going to local agencies that are now tasked with administering the funds. This undertaking is not devoid of problems associated with technical and administrative capacities. While on the one hand Italy is among the countries leading the definition of objectives and requesting installments from Europe, at the same time it is saddled with the age-old difficulty getting projects off the ground; indeed, according to a government update, only 15 billion of the 39 billion allotted has been spent.
Aspen Collective Mind Seminar – Policies for relaunching the South
A nighttime satellite view of the European continent shows Italy, unlike all the other countries, as clearly divided in two: a brightly illuminated center-north – (…)Aspen Collective Mind Seminar – Policies for relaunching the South
Infrastructures to drive competitiveness, resilience and innovation
Large-scale events are undoubtedly an opportunity to plan medium to long-term infrastructure investments. Similarly, the PNRR can be viewed as a sort of large-scale event ready to reap the benefits of Italy’s experience hosting past events, with keen attention to both positive and negative results.
Reform of the Procurement Code
The Procurement Code is primarily an instrument intended to facilitate the rapid, efficient and innovative execution of public works. The current Code, which dates back to 2016, has been the subject of continual reforms that have made it not only a never-ending story but also in some extremely important aspects an unfinished one. Examples include the digitalization and qualification of contracting authorities, the discipline of which still struggles to achieve full implementation.
Too much bureaucracy? Answers and solutions
Aspen Institute Italia promotes continuous analyses and proposals on the effectiveness and efficiency of the public administration (1). This roundtable offered an opportunity to present the Aspen Collective Mind research paper “Promoting international experience in Italy’s public administration”.
Twenty years of the euro: triumphs, problems, prospects
The euro is celebrating its first twenty years as a success but also in the awareness that much remains to be done. The overwhelming majority of European citizens consider the single currency a part of their identity and view it favorably; surely, the introduction of the euro simplified economic and commercial activities. Yet, not to be underestimated is the problem it created, particularly for a country like Italy, by eliminating the possibility of using exchange rates as a competitive devaluation tool.
Western Balkan countries’ integration in the EU: the case for Kosovo
The process of EU enlargement has been a major political and strategic success, but it is facing growing problems such as capacity for integration and political consensus among current members.
Time for optimism
Marco Alverà
CEO, Snam
evento correlato: The economics of climate change: a joint agenda between US and Europe
Covid: a ten years crisis
Oksana Antonenko
Director at the Global Risk Analysis team, Control Risks Group
evento correlato: Assessing risk: intersection of global economy and geopolitics
A new European migration policy
Margaritis Schinas
Vice President, European Commission
evento correlato: Flussi migratori in tempo di pandemia: esperienze acquisite e nuovi strumenti per una migliore gestione del fenomeno
Let’s speak about the future
Ilaria Capua
Director, One Health Center of Excellence, University of Florida
evento correlato: Global Health Security and its impact on the Economy: a global responsibility
Pandemics and the impact on development and stability
Peter Sands
Executive Director, The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tubercolosis and Malaria
evento correlato: Global Health Security and its impact on the Economy: a global responsibility
Recovery from the pandemic and challenges for the G20
Emanuela del Re
Vice Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Rome
evento correlato: Global Health Security and its impact on the Economy: a global responsibility
The decline of the West? The dilemma of liberal democracies
What is waning more in the West, civility or democracy? There has been talk for a century now of Western “decline”, understood as demographic and economic, but also the decline of fundamental values such as freedom, democracy and openness. Interpretations have gone so far as to speak of a broad decline in moral values. It can be seen as the beginning of a different perception of the world’s diversities.
The rise of the silver economy
Population ageing is a global trend affecting all the world’s foremost economies. The phenomenon is have an especially significant impact on China and Europe and seems destined, along with the climate crisis, to be among the main generators of change in twenty-first century societies. Governments, citizens and the business community thus find themselves facing a range of challenges as well as a host of opportunities.
The post-Covid economic paradigm: the future of work and business
Aspenia 94 (in Italian), entitled “I nuovi dopoguerra”, analyzes the many complexities of the international economic picture. It is possible that the post-Covid era will open up scenarios similar to those of the 1970s, or even something resembling the “roaring Twenties” and its tragic epilogue, the Great Depression of 1929.
Economic growth and consumption: how to relaunch demand
The Covid-19 pandemic has radically modified the consumer industry over the last 18 months. If, in a first phase, we saw the acceleration of trends that were already widespread, such as e-commerce, over time we witnessed the rise of new priorities, generally viewed as secondary in the pre-pandemic phase, including, but not limited to, the protection of the environment and the physical and mental well-being of the person.