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National Programs

  • Rome
    • 7 June 2011
     
     

    Reforming corporate governance: proposals and tools

      The participants at this National Roundtable noted that, in recent years, the corporate governance of Italian firms has changed in a rapid and decisive – though in some ways haphazard –  manner. This process, which started in the 1990s, particularly in the wake of the wave of privatizations, was intended to make the financial market more attractive to foreign and Italian investors by providing greater guarantees for the protection of minority shareholders.

    • Milan
      • 11 April 2011
       
       

      The design industry: value added for Italy’s economic growth

        Added value of over 140 billion euros and employment for around 3.3 million people: this was the snapshot, in figures, presented at this National Interest roundtable session of the engine of Italy’s manufacturing system, driven by the country’s leading sectors – the so-called “4 Fs” of the Made-in-Italy industry: Ferrari cars and non-electronic machinery and equipment, fashion and clothing, food and beverage, and furniture and wood products.

      • Milan
        • 25 July 2011
         
         

        New forms of poverty: social, economic and political implications

          This National Conference got underway with the observation that, in Italy as in Europe, emerging forms of poverty have mainly affected segments of the population that were previously relatively protected but that have now become socially and economically vulnerable. This phenomenon has also been accompanied by the onset of other hardships, stemming from the intensification of migration flows.

        • 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
              • 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.

              • 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
                  • 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
                    • 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.

                    • 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.

                      • 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.

                          • 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
                              • 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.

                              • 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
                                  • 19 January 2009
                                   
                                   

                                  Public investment to reinforce the real economy

                                    In the history of any country, there are phases where it is necessary to build and phases where wealth produced needs to be distributed. Italy, hit by the international crisis, finds itself in the former condition and aims to bolster its economy by building new infrastructure and, in the process, create jobs and facilitate the movement of people and goods.

                                  • 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.

                                    • Rome
                                      • 16 September 2009
                                       
                                       

                                      The common good: truth and gift-giving

                                        The participants at this roundtable session noted that Pope Benedict XVI, in his recent encyclical entitled Caritas in veritate, reiterates that “the world is in trouble because of the lack of thinking”. It would seem that modern life, with its daily challenges, is focusing minds on more immediate and direct concerns. Today’s cultural impoverishment and loss of ideals has generated a fear of living, thought and reflection.

                                      • Cernobbio
                                        • 19 July 2009
                                         
                                         

                                        Italy’s universities: reforms and tools to render them competitive

                                          Reform of Italy’s universities has for months been at the center of the national public debate, coinciding with the development of plans for a government review of the area. In addition to issues relating to the governance of universities and the soundness of the system’s macro-financial structure, the participants at this Conference examined ways of making the Italian university model more efficient and merit-based, focusing predominantly on the mechanisms regulating the autonomy of individual universities and the relationship between the latter and their local business communities.

                                        • Rome
                                          • 16 July 2009
                                           
                                           

                                          Expanding broadband in Italy

                                            Discussion at this roundtable event got underway with the observation that the development and spread of broadband internet access services have played and will continue to play a key role in the growth of the Italian economy. Indeed, the potential of broadband services to contribute to the simplification of business and administrative processes and the introduction of more efficient business models constitutes an essential prerequisite for improving the international competitiveness of the country’s economy.