Aspen Institute Italia’s aim in organizing this roundtable was to provide an opportunity to reflect on the processes that have characterized public administrative reform in Italy in recent years. In the course of the proceedings, a new Aspen Report was presented entitled “Public-sector reforms in Italy during the 17th legislature: their impetus, outcomes, and objectives”.
Kicking off discussions at this National Conference was the observation that southern Italy’s ports, intermodal facilities, and adjacent hinterland areas have a strategic opportunity within their grasp, with Mediterranean routes now serving as crossroads for global traffic. It was felt, however, that in order to seize these opportunities, medium and long-term choices need to be made, with a commitment at the governmental level to ensure that the right incentives, an apposite regulatory framework, and a coherent vision for pursuing Italy’s economic interests are all in place.
Aspen Institute Italia’s aim in organizing this roundtable was to foster debate on the challenges involved in integrating foreigners into Italian society. By way of introduction, it was noted that, over the years, the number of foreign nationals permanently residing in Italy has grown steadily and is set to continue to rise, as will the number of immigrants acquiring Italian citizenship. In a very short space of time, Italy’s society has been transformed, in line with what has happened in other countries such as France and the United Kingdom, and can no longer be considered mono-ethnic.
The participants at this National Conference noted that after a decade of profound economic and social crisis, some encouraging signs are emerging on a macroeconomic level that lend hope to the possibility of reestablishing a virtuous circle between the financial system, the real economy, and society at large. It was acknowledged, however, that there are still many challenges to be addressed, including regulation and the technological acceleration that has led to the advent of the fintech phenomenon.
Discussions at this roundtable kicked off with the observation that global economic growth, which has been particularly strong over the past year, has brought with it well-known benefits in terms of development (helping to combat extreme poverty, for instance), yet it has also marked a reversal in the trend of CO2 atmospheric emissions, which, after having stabilized for a three-year period, are rising again at a rate of around 1.5%. This once again poses the question of what measures are needed to decouple growth from emissions.
The participants at this national roundtable noted that digitalization is a paradigm that is not only revolutionizing the economy but the whole of society. This transformation transcends geographical boundaries, is not confined to particular sectors, and has also changed the market and the contractual rules that for decades have governed dealings between different economic actors.
Discussions at this national roundtable opened with the observation that the tax reforms signed into law by the Trump administration have an air of momentousness about them and have a significant impact on corporate taxation, with the company tax rate reduced from 35% to 21%. The impact on personal income tax is, however, decidedly more modest, with the tax rate cut by merely 2.6 percentage points, dropping from 39.6% to 37%. In addition, the former measure is, at least in theory, permanent, while the latter – for reasons tied to US parliamentary rules – will end in 2025.
Discussions at this National Conference kicked off with the observation that Italy’s trade-fair sector is a key tool for promoting the country’s economy. Not only do successful events have an important economic impact on the area in which they are hosted, with a potentially greater than tenfold multiplier effect, but trade fairs also offer crucial support to businesses.
Investments, culture, sharing: three elements that pundits and professionals consider indispensable to making System Italy resistant to cyber threats.
The areas examined by the participants during this National Conference were twofold. On the one hand, the debate focused on the role of the banking system and how it is perceived by savers. It was suggested that banks deal in buying and selling trust, so safeguarding such trust is imperative. Nearly ten years on from the outbreak of the global crisis, such confidence has been severely dented. The media has helped fuel public hostility towards the banking world, as several polls demonstrate.
The participants at this roundtable session noted that, today more than ever, there is a need to formulate responses capable of addressing the impacts of the enduring economic crisis. Statistics were cited indicating that, in Italy, absolute poverty affects over 4 million people, of whom around 1 million are minors, with another 13 million people at risk. In addition, in Italy and Europe, new forms of poverty predominantly involve segments of the population that – from once relatively protected positions – have become vulnerable, thus giving rise to new states of fragility and need.
The participants at this national conference recalled, by way of introduction, that two objectives are pursued through taxation systems, namely: the social purpose of ensuring there are resources for essential community services, and the economic aim of fostering business and investment. It was underlined that these systemic objectives are undermined when fairness and certainty are wanting.
The participants at this national roundtable opened their discussions by affirming that the constitutional referendum held in Italy on December 4, 2016 produced a result that leaves no room for doubt: the electorate has rejected the proposed reforms to the Constitution championed by the Renzi government. In 2006, the same fate befell the proposal put forward and supported by a center-right majority.
Kick-starting discussions at this national conference was the observation that it is customary to consider creativity as an expression of individual genius, or to associate it with an extravagance and fancifulness far removed from the workings of the economy and corporate business. Moreover, the concepts of artistic or aesthetic creativity and economic or productive creativity are often perceived as antithetical.
Smart factories, interconnected cities, and fifty billion objects hooked up to the internet by 2020: these were some of the facets of the digital revolution flagged by the roundtable participants as transforming the economic and social fabric of both advanced and developing countries. This ramping-up of technology was regarded as a game-changer, opening the doors to Industry 4.0, the promised benefits of which are manifold, including maximum volume flexibility, faster transition from prototyping to mass production, increased productivity, and reduced waste.
The participants at this national roundtable vehemently challenged the veracity of a popular – now verging on hackneyed – belief that the Italian education system only churns out mediocrity. Nothing – it was felt – could be further from the truth. The tenor of education and training at an international level leans favorably towards the traditional system adopted in Italy which is based, in its essentials, on the Giovanni Gentile model.
