The importance of the Italian northeast to the nation’s overall economy is immediately evident from a glance at a map of nighttime illumination, which reveals a clear duality between this most luminous, and consequently most productive, portion of the country and the rest.
Business financing today is facing some daunting challenges. Italian firms are having to confront a particularly uncertain scenario marked by a deep credit crunch and an exponential increase in the cost of raw materials.
The American institutional system has weathered both the impact of the “preventive” voting disputes stirred up by some of the more radical Republican candidates and an extremely polarized political climate.
The dollar remains strong and, despite a few crises, is still the world’s preeminent reserve currency. The euro, on the other hand – although it does represent a solid and advanced economy – has not managed to become a reserve currency capable of replacing the dollar.
In the “phygital” world, enterprise is the perpetual fulcrum of a system that hinges on a community of persons. This is true of business, marketing and communications. New priorities are emerging in the race to keep customers – by capturing their attention, boosting credibility and instilling trust – with the primary focus on corporate identity and accountability.
The definition of America’s as a “boom” economy is amply justified by the 21 months of growth confirmed by the prestigious National Bureau of Economic Research. A historic fact comparable perhaps only to the 1960s of Presidents Kennedy and Johnson and the early Reagan years. Current fiscal stimulus amounting to nearly 6 trillion dollars is far more substantial than the New Deal or post-Second World War measures.
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.
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.
Southern Italy needs a new vision for the future built on consideration of its system strongpoints and on a deeper scrutiny of its problems, with a view to identifying alternative proposals focused on the competitive capacity of those regions, with the goal of improving the business environment.
Not just for profit. With the end of the “turbo-capitalism” era, the world economy is turning increasingly clearly towards a new model. Therefore, while growth and positive economic results will remain essential, it will also be crucially important to achieve the right relationship with the local context, a renewed sense of community and a closer focus on environmental issues.
The second conference of the Aspen Corporate Initiative for the directors of external and institutional relations and communications of Aspen’s corporate members opened with a session on the future of transatlantic relations. The crisis in relations between Europe and the United States is not owed solely to Donald Trump’s recent policy decisions, but has much older roots and, most importantly, has had a considerable impact on the entire international geopolitical scenario.
