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National Programs

  • Rome
    • 1 March 2011
     
     

    Information services in the security sector: protecting Italy’s national interest

      Discussions at this National Roundtable commenced with an acknowledgement by the participants that the global economic arena is no longer characterized by competition played out solely between businesses, but rather sees national economies pitched against each other ever more fiercely.

      This trend has led to a gradual widening of the concept of “national security”, with many States now including economic and financial security within the ambit of this term.

    • Rome
      • 14 September 2011
       
       

      Sharing our future: forging an alliance between state and market for a new social contract

        At this roundtable session dedicated to the future of Italy’s pension system, it was observed that population aging, the impending retirement of the baby boomer generation, the prolonged period of economic stagnation currently being experienced and dwindling public resources are driving Italy, as well as most other developed nations, to tackle questions regarding the relationship between the role of public and private social security schemes. Today, pensions, healthcare and welfare, in their various forms, are no longer being delivered solely by the state.

      • Milan
        • 21 February 2011
         
         

        How the financial system can support growth

          This national roundtable discussion got underway with the observation that, traditionally, the banking system has played a key role in economic growth by channeling personal savings into financing the productive activities of businesses.

        • Rome
          • 27 April 2011
           
           

          Information services in the security sector: protecting Italy’s financial and industrial system

            The participants at this National Roundtable opened the discussion by observing that following the reform of the Italian intelligence services, the activities of the relevant agencies are no longer confined to the protection of the political and military interests of the country, but also extend to defending its “economic, scientific and industrial” interests.

          • Milan
            • 13 June 2011
             
             

            Health and well-being: new models of sustainable development

              As an opening premise, the participants at this National Conference noted that any reflection on the future of the Italian national health service must first start with an analysis of the value produced for the country in health terms. In this regard, statistics were cited indicating that between 1951 and the present day, life expectancy in Italy has increased by 1 month every 4 months. Italy also has the longest-lived population in Europe, with over-65s already making up 20% of the population, or 12 million people, of whom 3.5 million are over 80 years old (6%).

            • Rome
              • 21 January 2010
               
               

              Finding alternative indicators of well-being and growth in Italy

                The debate over the need to broaden the scope of economic indicators – and more particularly, moving beyond measurements of GDP – has inspired a wide range of studies on the topic both in Italy and abroad. This roundtable event examined a recent Aspen Institute Italia-Fondazione Edison study entitled “Italy in the new geo-economy of the G-20”, which aims to contribute further to this discussion. The study reveals an Italy that is better-placed than indicated by traditional rankings and compares favorably with other industrialized economies in numerous fields.

              • Milan
                • 22 February 2010
                 
                 

                Increasing Italy’s exports

                  The roundtable got underway with an examination of the twofold characterization of Italian exports that has, for over a decade, been a core theme in public debate over the competitiveness of the Italian economy in the age of globalization – one which sees exports both as a driver of Italy’s growth and, at the same time, as a reflection of the outward-looking nature of the Italian production system.

                • Milan
                  • 26 July 2010
                   
                   

                  New international strategies to support Italian business

                    The financial crisis has considerably modified the environment in which Italian firms operate. It has introduced new problems in the export sector that are related not only to structural changes in the capital markets but also to difficulties in accessing credit.

                  • Rome
                    • 17 March 2010
                     
                     

                    Moving people: how to improve competitiveness, efficiency, and quality

                      The roundtable participants began their examination of the mobility issues affecting Italy today with the observation that, last year alone, Italian households spent on average more than 35 billion euro on getting from one place to another. Also in 2009, the cost of congestion in metropolitan areas was around 9 billion euro. Just in Rome, for example, fuel consumption totaled between 12-15 million euro in the same year – to which must be added the costs generated by rising pollution in cities and areas beyond city limits, as well as by road traffic accidents.

                    • Milan
                      • 15 November 2010
                       
                       

                      Italy’s demographic trends: problems and opportunities

                        Proceedings at this roundtable session got underway with the participants observing that an aging population, immigration and the brain drain are issues that Italy needs to address by looking to the future as well as at the past. Indeed, the current state of affairs is the product of previous trends. In decades gone by, there was a surplus of births over deaths and a negative migration balance, but today that situation has been reversed.

                      • Milan
                        • 20 September 2010
                         
                         

                        Italy’s savings: how to make it work for the country’s development

                          The Conference got underway with an acknowledgement that savings have played a key role in maintaining Italy’s stability during the more acute phases of the recent financial crisis, and may play an even more important role now as a driver of the country’s economic recovery and growth.

                        • Rome
                          • 24 November 2010
                           
                           

                          The economic value of Italy’s cultural patrimony

                            The discussion at this roundtable session got underway with the incisive observation that managing and exploiting a vast and valuable cultural heritage requires a well-thought-out cultural policy, and a continual balance to be struck between preservation and economic development, between making use of this asset and ensuring it is not “used up”, and between the conservation of ancient artistic works and nurturing contemporary art.

                          • Milan
                            • 3 May 2010
                             
                             

                            The economic dimension of crime

                              The roundtable session opened with an acknowledgement by participants that the processes of globalization have made the fight against crime more complicated. Criminal activities have spread worldwide, expanding with the internationalization of trade and growth in migration flows. At the same time, however, organized crime has maintained a strong local flavor, due to its embeddedness in local communities and its permeation into the fabric of society.

                            • Milan
                              • 5 July 2010
                               
                               

                              Artists and artisans: resources for Italian workers

                                The roundtable session got underway with an acknowledgement by the participants of the crucial importance of reviving Italy’s artisan culture – a tradition synonymous with the production of high-quality goods through the accumulation, pooling and dissemination of know-how.

                              • Milan
                                • 27 September 2010
                                 
                                 

                                SMEs: growth and collaboration in a new global scenario

                                  More than three years after the outbreak of the crisis which engulfed the world economy, Italian businesses have shown that they have, on the whole, withstood the impact of the economic and financial tsunami. The country remains the fifth-ranking global manufacturing power and the second in Europe after Germany, running counter to the trend that has seen a progressive reduction in the market shares of traditional industrial economies – the US and Japan in particular.

                                • Milan
                                  • 2 February 2009
                                   
                                   

                                  Reforming market capitalism

                                    The participants at this roundtable were deeply critical of the lack of transparency in the international financial system, the product of an out-of-control laissez-faire capitalism and a global lex mercatoria that has swept aside traditional capitalist organizational forms and the regulatory functions of public authorities.

                                  • Rome
                                    • 11 March 2009
                                     
                                     

                                    Reforming public administration and simplifying procedures: beating the odds

                                      The participants at this conference observed that, irrespective of the kind of institutional set-up a particular country may have, the public administration is the bridge between administrators and the administered. An efficient and modern public administration ceases to be a mere cost and becomes an asset for the productive system and a means for improving the quality of life of citizens and families.

                                    • Milan
                                      • 16 March 2009
                                       
                                       

                                      Low cost – high value: a new business model

                                        Discussion at this roundtable event got underway with the participants citing recent figures indicating that 70% of Italians anticipate they will have to cut down on spending in 2009. The figure was 21% in 2001, 29% in 2002 and 42% in 2004. At a time of international crisis, this growing trend is forcing businesses to rethink their business models.

                                      • Cernobbio
                                        • 27 September 2009
                                         
                                         

                                        Italian successes and talented operators around the world

                                          The experience gained by Italians around the world, the challenges that will need to be faced to build global skills, and the ability of the national economy to operate as a global actor are all aspects of a single issue, namely: how to make the most of overseas Italian talent. Talented Italians are finding it increasingly easier to emigrate rather than build reasonable career prospects for themselves at home.

                                        • Rome
                                          • 15 April 2009
                                           
                                           

                                          Reforming Italy’s university system: beating the odds

                                            If Italy’s university system is to proceed in a new direction, there are two crucial areas that must first be given a complete overhaul: its governance and its financial framework.  And, that such reforms have become necessary is certainly a widely held view.  The shape of these reforms and the regulations and procedures to be adopted, on this, the eve of the sitting government’s presentation of its university reform bill, is however still a matter for lively discussion both within academia and, in more general terms, the public arena.