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National Interest

  • Venice
    • 12 October 2018
     
     

    Transportation and logistics: smart infrastructure

      (Italian Version)
      Un Paese moderno e competitivo deve avere tra i suoi asset fondamentali un sistema di trasporto e logistica basato su infrastrutture efficienti, tecnologicamente avanzate e multimodali. Questo è un problema che riguarda, in misura diversa, tutto l’Occidente. Si tratta di investire risorse tanto nella manutenzione e nell’aggiornamento della rete esistente quanto nello sviluppo di nuove infrastrutture adatte alle esigenze di mobilità create dall’economia digitale.

    • Venice
      • 9 May 2014
       
       

      Governing complexity in the country system: challenges, priorities and Italy’s choices

        The participants at this ASL seminar noted that Europe has made it past the most acute phase of the economic and financial crisis, but is still struggling to embark on a virtuous process of sweeping and sustained growth.

        It was felt that in order to accomplish this, the Member States need to fully seize the opportunities offered by the digital revolution and confront the associated challenges and risks – including to the quality of democracy – arising from the change that this technological paradigm brings with it.

      • Venice
        • 12 July 2013
         
         

        Governing complexity in the country system: challenges, priorities and Italy’s choices

          Debate at this ASL session focused on framing the complexities of Italy’s economic system within an international context widely held to be in a state of crisis. It was submitted that a closer look at the real economy reveals a need to bolster the international competitive ranking of Italian firms and sectors with reforms capable of shaping the future evolution of the country’s education and research sector, the functioning of the labor market, and the banking and financial system.

        • Venice
          • 26 October 2012
           
           

          The engines of growth for Italy’s future

            Discussions at this ASL session got underway with the observation that the current economic woes are indicative not of a simple downturn but of a profound crisis, which calls for a radical alteration in lifestyles and development models. It was felt that without such far-reaching changes, levels of growth throughout Europe will continue to be very low in the coming years, in part because it will be impossible to kick-start development and employment without incurring some cost.

          • Florence
            • 18 November 2011
             
             

            Italy in 10 years’ time: from crisis to growth

              This seminar in the latest ASL series got underway with the observation that the way the current crisis has evolved confirms the necessity of moving beyond ex-post and localized solutions that deal with emergencies country-by-country and as and when they arise. The participants pointed instead to the need for a comprehensive strategy, based on three pillars. The first of these is the adoption of deficit-reduction programs at the national level. The second is the creation of common funds and institutions with more resources and more effective governance.

            • Florence
              • 18 November 2011
               
               

              Italians at home and abroad: shared heritage, success stories and internationalization

                In this Aspen Seminar for Leaders, dedicated to Italian talent at home and abroad, it was noted that perhaps as in no other Western country, culture has been a unifying factor in Italy: the sheer force of Italians having ancient roots in common and an extraordinary shared history has sustained an unbroken national identity over the centuries, despite the country being for a long time fragmented into several smaller states.

              • Venice
                • 22 May 2009
                 
                 

                Energy savings, renewable resources, nuclear power: the best choices for Italy

                  The approval of a renewable energy and climate change legislative package by the European Union in December 2008 is part of a wider push to formulate a global policy to combat climate change. Indeed, the Copenhagen Conference to be held in December this year will play a key role in deciding what should follow the Kyoto Protocol once it expires in 2012.

                • Lecce
                  • 23 October 2009
                   
                   

                  Markets and energy/environmental policy: choices for growth and competition in Italian industry

                    The seminar discussions got underway with the observation that international energy markets are the litmus test of a crisis whose outcomes are still uncertain. The dramatic slump in global demand has triggered a sharp fall in prices, but speculative interests and unfounded concerns that the peak oil point is approaching continue to artificially sustain share prices at levels that lack any sound market justification.

                  • Lecce
                    • 23 October 2009
                     
                     

                    New paradigms of progress and capitalism

                      This seminar examined developments in the concept of progress and in models of capitalism in light of the profound economic and social changes wrought by the financial and economic crisis.

                    • Venice
                      • 22 May 2009
                       
                       

                      New roles for the public and private sectors in the economy and society

                        In response to the crisis, the State has intervened to rescue banks and financial institutions, to restore confidence in the market, and to guarantee loans and transactions. Within the space of a few weeks, the State in many countries has become the largest shareholder in major banks and insurance companies, resuming the role it had abandoned during the protracted era of privatizations.

                      • Venice
                        • 16 May 2008
                         
                         

                        Freeing up growth: how to ensure productivity and competitiveness in Italy

                          The seminar, part of a series dealing with major issues and devoted to the National Interest, examined several crucial points for the promotion of economic growth and the raising of productivity levels at a historical moment marked by the risk of recession and by profound transformations in international economic equilibria. It was observed that to unshackle Italy’s growth, governments and the political sphere must be capable of mobilizing coalitions that are favorably disposed to reforms, highlighting the widespread benefits that they can generate.

                        • Palermo
                          • 24 October 2008
                           
                           

                          Italy’s Mezzogiorno and the national interest

                            The seminar dealt with the issues of the Mezzogiorno from the viewpoint of the economic, social and institutional aspects of National Interest.

                            Moreover, the theme of Italy’s Mezzogiorno does not easily lend itself to any sort of sweeping analysis. There are increasing instances of areas of high economic and technological development in Southern Italy, where even local governments have shown signs of operating effectively.

                          • Venice
                            • 4 May 2007
                             
                             

                            Italy and its élites: proposals for a new ruling class

                              The impetus for the seminar on “Italy and its élites: proposals for a new ruling class”, held as part of the Aspen Seminars for Leaders program, grew out of an awareness of the urgent need for a new class of leaders to be established in the various sectors of Italian society.

                            • Siracusa
                              • 12 October 2007
                               
                               

                              Infrastructures: between development and competition

                                This seminar was also part of the national interest cycle. The discussion aimed to formulate proposals on how to create an integrated system of physical infrastructures, to boost Italian competitiveness in global markets. Infrastructure networks are an architecture around which multiple services can be developed. These, in turn, contribute to the growth of the economic system.

                              • Siracusa
                                • 12 October 2007
                                 
                                 

                                Institutions, markets, enterprises: new rules to modernize Italy

                                  This seminar, part of a cycle of meetings on important issues dedicated to Italy’s national interests, addressed the main approach that should be taken to affirm the culture of value and quality of rules. In Italy, the perception that there is a lack of respect for the rules goes hand in hand with an unwieldy regulatory system lacking transparency. If those same rules were well designed and synthesized, they would contribute to social and economic development. Today, however, they are perceived as – and indeed sometimes are – an impediment to the country’s growth and modernization.