National Programs

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.

Though acknowledged as unpredictable in its consequences like every momentous turning point of the past, the fourth industrial revolution was hailed by participants at this national roundtable as entirely unique in terms of its pervasiveness, the profundity of the transformations induced, and the speed of the changes occasioned, marking something of a “progressive watershed” between one age and another.

Discussions at this national roundtable emphasized that sustainable mobility is a fundamental underpinning of any goods and people transport system that, while meeting movement and transportation needs, does not give rise to negative environmental and health impacts but rather contributes to ensuring improved quality of life.

Enjoying financial success and great international appeal but needing a rethink of its offerings and prospects was how participants at this roundtable described the Italian interior design industry, with the sector having reached a peculiar historical juncture. It was noted that the 2017 edition of the Salone del Mobile international furniture fair set new records in terms of attendance numbers and interest attracted among an extensive audience of foreign visitors.

Kicking off discussions at this roundtable was the observation that big data – seen by some as akin to “oil” in the sense that, like the latter, it needs to be “refined” in order to be useful – lies at the heart of data-driven innovation, the new industrial revolution. Like any revolution, it has important ramifications, in terms of new services and market dynamics, on economies and societies throughout the world.

The pursuit of security and a desire for greater certainty were recurrent themes in discussions at this national roundtable on the future of government in Italy. It was observed that Western democracies – beset by populist movements of various ilks and engulfed by ongoing economic crisis – are struggling to arrive at a new order and are, above all, failing to fully meet the needs and demands of their citizens.

The starting premise of discussions at this roundtable on migration, organized by Aspen Institute Italia, was that current tensions within Europe demonstrate how Italy has effectively become – and is being seen by its continental partners – as a buffer state: a country deputized to serve as a “shock absorber” in the new geopolitics of the Mediterranean.

Participants at this national roundtable highlighted smart energy and smart building as key components of the smart city concept. “Smartness” in urban contexts was seen as entailing the pursuit of two main objectives: efficiency in the face of resource scarcity, and a higher standard of living. To achieve these goals, it was deemed essential to focus efforts on three fronts in particular. Firstly, infrastructure is a necessary though insufficient precondition for services to be able to respond to complexity, which in urban contexts stems from an admixture of markedly varied needs.

Kick-starting discussions at this national roundtable was the acknowledgment that the Italian food and agriculture industry is one of the most emblematic of the Made in Italy sectors, not only because of the international appeal that Italian cuisine has always held, but also due to the economic importance of the sector.

The approximate five million foreigners currently living in Italy – 8.2% of the resident population – make an 8.8% contribution to GDP. The numbers point to an immigrant presence equal to the number of Italians residing abroad and to a major financial impact that affects even the social welfare system.

A little over 25 years since its establishment, Italy’s Antitrust Authority – hailed by those attending this national roundtable as an indubitable success story – was characterized as facing new challenges linked to profound changes that have impacted on the entire economic system. Cited among these were ever-greater global integration, a new dialectic between the real and financial spheres of the economy, and, above all, a complete rethinking of value-creation models due to the increasing digitalization of every aspect of human lives.

This meeting was part of Aspen Institute Italia’s efforts to support business by promoting efficiency and effectiveness in public administration. For the occasion, the Institute carried out a detailed study  coordinated by Professor Sabino Cassese, an innovative feature of which are the assessments and proposals contributed by various associates currently confronted with entrepreneurial and productive challenges.

Industry has only recently been rediscovered as having a fundamental role in Europe and the world. Industry 4.0 is a revolution that is going to change not only industry itself, but economic systems as well. The “Smart Factory” involves all phases of industrial manufacturing, from design to production and logistics, all the way to post-sales. The smart factories of the future will be part of a social network consisting of machinery, goods, workers and consumers that, as they interact, will establish a new technology-production paradigm.