Rediscovering and studying history more and better. Not only because it is magistra vitae (life’s teacher) and can teach us something pragmatic, but above all because understanding the tensions of the past and the strength of roots increases awareness of the importance of choice and of the main cultural, social and political options by which values, passions and interests should be guided.

In such controversial times, when the rhetoric of force and the arrogance of interests triumph over the cultures of respect and dialogue and the values of diversity (the essence of liberal democracy, the “good soul” of the difficult twentieth century), learning to deal with history and its truths helps us to understand how we can continue to be responsible and conscious citizens. Citizens of a society in which we can cultivate the best legacies of the past and bequeath to our own children and grandchildren a social capital of democratic culture, without ideologies, but above all without authoritarian tendencies and without forgetting the failures of totalitarian regimes that have passed but are far from having disappeared.

Which history? Political and military history. Economic and social history. Public history and global history. The history of great events. Not only “high” culture, but also material culture (food, the home, clothing, crafts and industry, consumption and customs, the simplicity of which was documented by the French school of the Annales). Homeland history. And its connections with the histories of other peoples and other countries. Because no man is an island, as the great English poet John Donne taught us. No valley is isolated. And no one is enough on their own.

Identity, the best, the most fruitful, is not in the subject but in relationships, according to the philosophical lesson of Emmanuel Lévinas. And especially for us Italians and Europeans, our history, the history of the Mediterranean, of conflicts and confrontation, of clashes and trade, shows how, in the long course of our history, the harshness of wars has been balanced and overcome by the intelligence of dialogue and exchange. To gain an understanding of this, it is worth rereading the lucid works of Fernand Braudel and the equally wise and profoundly poetic writings of Predrag Matvevic, starting with his “Mediterranean – A Cultural Landscape”, one of the most important books of the twentieth century.

Read about history. Write about history, knowing that this means following the strict discipline of “giving dates their physiognomy” (Walter Benjamin), with great respect for facts and data, avoiding unscrupulous manipulation and falsification. And write history, with a sense of responsibility. Constantly seeking links with other disciplines, literature and art, philosophy and mathematics, sociology, psychology, law, physics and chemistry. Humanistic knowledge and scientific knowledge. Anthropology and economics.

The professors at the Catholic University of Milan who are advocating a “Doctorate in Economic History: Firms, Institutions, Cultures” are right. As are the historians, lawyers and economists, such as Giuliano Amato, Piero Barucci, Pierluigi Ciocca, Claudio De Vincenti, Elsa Fornero, Giorgio La Malfa, Romano Prodi, Alberto Quadrio Curzio, Paolo Savona and Ignazio Visco, who published an appeal (Il Sole24Ore, 29 January) to political and academic forces to “save the doctorate in economic history” and restore it to the place it deserves in the educational and research contexts of our universities.

History, in short, as a pillar of “polytechnic culture” and of business culture. Working broadly and, at the same time, deeply. Quite the opposite of the bad habits so fashionable on social media and the unfortunately successful propaganda inspired by the “simplification of fast thinking” (“the wise admonition of Daniel Kahneman, winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics, demonstrating the profound impact of psychological aspects on economic decisions”).

These attitudes, on the other hand, are an essential part of the cultural and moral heritage of our Europe, which today is uncertain and perhaps even lost in the face of the challenges of a geopolitical framework dominated by imperious giants, from the United States to Russia and China, and by Big Tech, which despises democracy. A Europe that must rediscover its pride, its power and its awareness of its strengths (democracy and the market, the values of individual enterprise and the spread of prosperity, the capacity for scientific discovery and the simplicity of critical thinking). A Europe that, in spite of everything, is the master of its own destiny. A better Europe than the one we have seen at work.

In this context, Giulio Tremonti is right, as a critic of the regulatory and bureaucratic distortions of the EU (“twenty lost years”) and as a politician with a solid liberal culture. He insists on the need to re-read carefully one of the historic founding documents of the Europe to which we belong, the “Ventotene Manifesto”, and from there to start talking again about the single currency and the single army, development policies and the continent’s geopolitical role (Il Foglio, 18 February).

This “Manifesto for a Free and United Europe” was written in 1941 by three young intellectuals, Altiero Spinelli, Ernesto Rossi and Eugenio Colorni, who were imprisoned by the Fascist regime on the island of Ventotene during one of the darkest moments in history (when the Nazi armies occupied a large part of the continent). Published in 1944, before the end of the war, and disseminated thanks to the initiative of an extraordinary woman, Ursula Hirshmann, the Ventotene Manifesto became one of the founding texts of European integration, thanks to the planning intelligence and generous political vision of a ruling class (Adenauer, De Gasperi, Schuman, Monnet and Spaak, the “Fathers of Europe”) capable of integrating national interests and European values. And many of those inspirations are still relevant today: the single market, the single currency, the single tax, the single army: “the currency” and “the sword”, economic relations and political democracy.

The recent Letta and Draghi reports on the single market and European investment (worth a trillion a year over ten years, with debt instruments on the markets from an EU that is finally cohesive and therefore authoritative) provide important pointers on what to do and how to do it, in order to respond promptly to US pressure, which in the Trump era has never been so unfriendly, and to the machinations of other great and powerful actors on the international scene. A Europe that, to quote Draghi’s words before the European Parliament, must finally “act as a single state” (Corriere della Sera, 19 February).

Italy, the founding country of the EU, has a fundamental role to play. And the underlying cultures that inspired the Quirinal, from president to president, can help in this process of recovery and redemption. They include the democratic socialism of Sandro Pertini, the Christian Democratic thought of Oscar Luigi Scalfaro (who accompanied the leader Alcide De Gasperi and the young Aldo Moro from the Constituent Assembly), the activism and liberal democracy of Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, the profoundly Italian and constitutional communism of Giorgio Napolitano, the depth of Catholic social values and the institutional passion of Costantino Mortati (who taught constitutional law to the generations that entered university at the end of the 1960s), so dear to Sergio Mattarella. Diversity in the unity of the Republic’s institutional culture. Deep democratic values. The strength of the historical roots of our essential democracies and the cornerstones of a better future, which we owe our children and grandchildren. Europeans.

(Photo Getty Images)

Thirty entrepreneurial stories that show thirty different ways of doing business

Telling the stories of companies through the voices of those who conceived, built and ran them, with a straight to the point approach: understanding how peer entrepreneurship really works. This is what Alessandro Scaglione attempts to do in his recently published “Italia, che impresa! Storie di cuore, coraggio, genio e resilienza” (Italy, what an enterprise! Stories of heart, courage, genius and resilience). Stories, to be precise, of men and women who have turned their lives into an all-round entrepreneurial adventure. Stories built of visions and dreams, of victories and defeats. In some cases stories told directly to the author, in others through the accounts of the people involved. Men and women who have created historic brands or young businesses. The 30 chapters with as many stories testify to the ingenuity, audacity, energy and commitment of those who have built a business from nothing or saved one because they felt they had to.

Scaglione tells the story of each of the subjects – effectively, though not always in the same way – with a brisk style and a few bold strokes that try to capture the essence of extraordinary human adventures, and demonstrate that, if you want to, you can do business in any situation.

The book is divided into six groups of five stories each, with a fact sheet for each company. We begin with those who “defied fate”, next those who are defined as “unstoppable”, then those who followed their “extraordinary intuition”, followed by those who were involved in “social enterprises”, then those who did not give up, and finally those who managed to continue the businesses started by fathers and ancestors before them. The stories of Giorgio Armani, Giovanni Rana, Salvatore Ferragamo, Rinaldo Piaggio, Matilde Vincenzi, Marcel Bich, Ferdinando Bocconi, Benedetto Noberasco and many others unfold before the eyes of the reader. Stories that, as the author points out, also teach us that business was done in a far more difficult climate than the one we are experiencing today.

In the introduction, Alessandro Scaglione writes: “Convinced that culture, before the economy, is the infrastructure of humanity, this book wants to contribute in its own way to the ‘tradition’ and the exchange of knowledge between those who have built an enterprise and those who will run it. Because doing business means believing in ourselves and our ideas, and immersing ourselves as much as possible in ecosystems that reward our ingenuity. Business is the school of those who still know how to dream, how to interpret the world and show the path of its possible evolution. It is the school of visionary people, capable of conceiving and acting on the economy as a reflection of a vision, a moral, a way of feeling and thinking, without compromising with the reality that lies before us”.

Italia, che impresa! Storie di cuore, coraggio, genio e resilienza

Alessandro Scaglione

GueriniNext, 2024

The president of Confindustria, Emanuele Orsini, rightly calls on the institutions, “the government and all political forces” to come up with a three-year industrial recovery plan in order to “unleash the potential of Italian companies” and pull the country out of an alarming state of crisis. It is necessary to be fully aware that “without industry there is no growth and social cohesion”. And so it is necessary to launch a cycle of decisions and public investments in the fields of energy, innovation, productivity and greater competitiveness of Italy and Europe in increasingly difficult markets and in scenarios dominated by geopolitical uncertainty, which now has a new leading actor: Trump’s USA, the same USA that was once an unshakeable and trustworthy friend and is now, instead, rather hostile towards the EU and major European countries.

Industrialists, Orsini adds, are ready to play their part by investing and improving the competitiveness of their companies, strengthening those sectors in which we have long demonstrated the strength of Made in Italy (mechanics and mechatronics, robotics, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, avionics and aerospace, shipbuilding, rubber and plastics, large infrastructures, as well as furniture, clothing and the agri-food industry). They are investing and innovating, demonstrating once again, in difficult times, their creativity, ingenuity, flexibility and long-term vision of the markets.

Of course, business is not omnipotent. It needs a positive context in which to operate. And that means medium-term decisions and actions by the government to ensure favourable conditions for companies in terms of energy prices, tax burdens (the IRES bonus decided by the government in the budget is fine, but it needs to broaden its scope and coverage), cutting red tape and improving the functioning of the labour market and training. Businesses would grow more if they could find the workers they need, so more graduates and degree holders and a better immigration management strategy are needed.

These are Issues we have long known about but they are still lacking adequate political answers. Industry 4.0, the most important industrial policy choice of the last decade, an essential lever for the dynamism of our manufacturing industry and the strength of our high-quality exports, is now as short of resources and prospects as ever. And Industry 5.0, which is supposed to facilitate the digital transformation of companies, is barely operational due to regulatory and bureaucratic mechanisms that prevent or slow down companies’ access.

In short: there is a production crisis (we talked about it in last week’s blog, complete with data and facts), but there are some very good actors in the field, enterprising and armed with good will and practical projects, but the conditions for recovery and reconstruction are worsening.

The need for an ambitious, long-term industrial policy obviously concerns not only Italy, but above all Germany, which is in a deep structural crisis, and more generally the whole of Europe. The tariff war started by Trump’s USA aggravates the situation. “Italy and Germany run the highest risks,” warns Bank of Italy Governor Fabio Panetta at Forex (La Stampa, 16 February): 1.5 points less global growth, although the worst impact in the medium term would be for the USA, -2%. And Emma Marcegaglia, former president of Confindustria, who as a steel producer already felt the weight of the tariffs during the first Trump presidency, fears new damage to everyone and calls for a strong reaction from Europe. That it helps companies to stay in the markets and, more generally, that it revives the values of an international player, the EU, which has been able to reconcile democracy, the market and welfare, in other words freedom, innovation and social inclusion. Governor Panetta insists: we need “a European pact for productivity” (Il Sole24Ore, 16 February).

Here is the pivotal point: what is needed is a Europe that, with astonishing political skill, steps out of the corner in which the USA, Russia and China, for different reasons, would like it to be, and asserts the strength and validity of an economic and political culture based on the economic values and practices I have just mentioned, and asserts its social capital of competitive democracy with strength and pride.

A project Europe, despite everything. And a courageous Europe that other parts of the world look to: firstly, the UK, but also several countries in the Mediterranean, Africa and the Americas themselves (the recent EU-Mercosur trade agreements are a good example).

In the words of Mario Draghi, the EU must stop imposing duties on itself, “internal barriers” that reduce innovation and productivity (la Repubblica, 16 February). And actually deliver good politics. How? Move towards a single market, starting with banking and finance, specifically to strengthen companies and their investments according to the robust innovation attitude in the strategic quality of manufacturing. And, finally, the launch of the formidable instrument of Eurobonds, European debt securities already considered essential by one of the most enlightened leaders Europe has ever had, Jacques Delors.

International financial markets have already shown that they regard the EU as a credible debtor. And the short-sightedness of the so-called “frugal” countries risks doing shocking damage not only to economies, but to European democracy itself. Ideological “frugality” is anything but a virtue in times of uncertainty and risk.

Eurobonds, then. To finance the 800 billion annual investments over a decade for environmental and digital transformation, as proposed by the Competitiveness Plan presented by Mario Draghi at the behest of the European Commission, a visionary and possible development path for Europe. For defence and the common army (finally overcoming the deficit of a Union that has the currency but not the sword). But also for innovation, technologies, artificial intelligence, training, the quality of social inclusion, projects, so that “Next Generation EU” is not just an acronym for post-Covid investment, but a real policy for a better future, in democracy and sustainable development, for our children and grandchildren. “Europe needs a CERN for artificial intelligence”, suggests Giorgio Parisi, Nobel Prize-winning physicist and mastermind of European “supercomputing” projects (Il Sole24Ore, 16 February).

Think big, in short, while the minimal thoughts of overbearing but culturally and value-driven egoism have gone too far. Think broadly in the face of the threat of nationalism, and try to be “that grain of sand lifted by the wind that sometimes stops a machine”, to borrow an intense and poetic expression from Norberto Bobbio, one of the greatest political philosophers of the 20th century. Think with social generosity in the face of fearful and socially sterile isolation. Think European.

Our history, despite the shadows that brood in the recesses of the darkness and horrors of the 20th century, gives us strength.

We must therefore quickly learn to “govern fragility“, as Roberto Garofoli and Bernardo Giorgio Mattarella suggest in a recent book published by Mondadori, in order to talk about “institutions, national security and competitiveness”. And to go “beyond fragility”, as Europe was able to do, for example, during the terrible period of the Covid pandemic, in terms of science, health culture and respect for human rights. A good Europe.

(Photo Getty Images)

A recently published collection of essays on a complex concept that needs to be understood in depth

Sustainability, which is one of the most talked about key indicators of our time. “To be sustainable means to be competitive, to convince, to revive one’s place in the market, to have consensus, to have credibility. To invest, and therefore to grow. The concept of sustainability is complex and important. A concept that needs to be thoroughly understood and constantly updated. The book “Il paradigma della sostenibilità” (The paradigm of sustainability), just published by Marilene Lorizio (who teaches political economy at the University of Foggia), is a collection of texts written by several authors, who look at sustainability from different points of view, offering reflections, analyses, insights and projects from the fields of economics and statistics.

Lorizio and his collaborators start with a premise: sustainability now seems destined to profoundly and irreversibly change future economic and social scenarios, involving and affecting a wide range of sectors, thanks to its cross-cutting nature. A cross-cutting approach is therefore needed to understand the meaning, logic and applications of sustainability. An approach that must also take into account the growing pressure from global public opinion for more responsible and sustainable choices, both for companies and for citizens and institutions. A pressure that has been accompanied by a substantial production of regulations on the subject, both at European and national level. This is a logical consequence of the demand for a “more sustainable world”, which aims to guide, encourage and facilitate a path towards sustainability that does not always appear simple and transparent. Because sustainability must always take into account the competitiveness of the productive sector and the growth of the country system. The work, edited by Lorizio, then goes on to discuss the goals to be shared, the means to achieve them and the conditions that need to be considered.

The book’s various chapters deal with issues such as the relationship between digitalisation and sustainability, theoretical reference models, sustainability indicators, climate change and sustainability, and its relationship with specific economic sectors.

All with a fundamental belief: the transition to sustainability can be a strategic factor for the competitiveness of the productive sector, by aligning and agreeing on multiple and different objectives belonging to the different actors: companies, society and institutions.

Il paradigma della sostenibilità

Marilene Lorizio (edited by)

Franco Angeli, 2024

A speech by the Governor of the Bank of Italy provides a clear summary to better understand current events

It is the task of many, especially those who, as entrepreneurs or managers, have a duty to lead the organisations for which they are responsible, to look at the big social, economic and historical issues in order to better understand the present and glimpse a possible future. This is a matter of having a deep cultural understanding, but also of keeping up with the latest daily information, all of which can be helped by reading the speech given by the Governor of the Bank of Italy, Fabio Panetta, at the 31st ASSIOM FOREX Congress on 15 February.
“L’economia mondiale tra incertezza e trasformazione” (The world economy from uncertainty and transformation) is a clear summary of reflections on what is happening in the economy, in international relations and trade. Panetta shows how growth is trending down, how trade is changing and how its geography is being reshaped by “reducing trade between countries belonging to opposing geopolitical blocs and increasing trade between politically aligned economies”. A trend that “reduces the efficiency of world trade, increases the cost of goods and makes supply chains more complex and vulnerable. In several countries, this could limit the availability of certain products, especially technology products and those essential for the climate transition”. In a word, it seems that the world is closing in on islands with little connection between them, that globalisation is shrinking and leaving room for divisions, that multilateralism and integration are in danger. It’s a condition that is detrimental to everyone. Including Europe and Italy, to which Panetta pays particular attention.
In the face of all this, the Governor’s message is that there are the tools – in Europe and in Italy too – to take a different path from the one we are on. It is, however, a matter of “courageous choices, vision and unity of purpose” but also of “lucidity and ambition”. Reading Fabio Panetta’s latest contribution to understanding reality is beneficial for everyone.

L’economia mondiale tra incertezza e trasformazione
Fabio Panetta
Speech at the 31st ASSIOM FOREX Congress, Turin, 15 February 2025

Italian industry continues to send out warning signals. Revenues in 2024 fell by 42 billion, 2.4% less than in 2023, with particularly negative peaks in the automotive and fashion industries, but still with 10 out of 15 non-performing segments (Il Sole24Ore, 7 February). And if we look over a longer period, we see that in five years (2019-2024) we lost 59,000 manufacturing companies, mainly in the clothing, metallurgy, wood and food industries, 10.6% fewer companies.

It is too early to speak of “deindustrialisation”. But we are certainly facing a long process of crisis which, in the absence of radical and credible choices of industrial policy at national and European level, risks profoundly compromising Italy’s role as the EU’s most industrialised country after Germany.

The decline of the German economy (our main trading partner, the benchmark for supply chains that were once solid and profitable, starting with the automotive industry) is a major factor in this decline. But also the high cost of energy, rising geopolitical tensions, concerns about tariffs threatened by the Trump administration in the White House and likely to provoke further reaction from China to Brussels. And also uncertainties around the generality and lack of applicability of government support policies, for example on Industry 5.0. Investment in innovation is slowing. Entrepreneurs’ concerns are compounded by the fact that they are still unable to find the skilled workers they need to boost productivity and competitiveness.

In short, it is an alarming situation, that requires rapid answers (as we already discussed in the blog of 28 January).

Nevertheless, those who are familiar with the industrial system in the most dynamic regions, starting with Lombardy, can not only confirm the warning signs, but also highlight factors of resistance and resilience, strengths of the production system that could be used to define recovery and development policies.

What are these factors? Aptitude for the green economy, investment in culture and references to “cohesive policies”. These ideas are highlighted in a recent analysis presented last week by Symbola and the Cariplo Foundation, with three new reports from the Foundation, chaired by Ermete Realacci, on sustainability, the cultural and creative industries and cohesion.

The surveys in the Symbola and Unioncamere Report, supported by the Centro Studi Tagliacarne, document how 571,000 Italian companies have invested in the green economy and sustainability in the last five years, creating 3.1 million jobs and proving that they are “better able to cope with the crisis”, managing the ecological transition and developing products and production processes that are sustainable, innovative and competitive. Lombardy is the leading Italian region in terms of the number of companies (102,000) making green investments. And Lombardy is also home to groups (Arvedi, Feralpi) that are leaders in the production of green steel, with certification from prestigious international institutions. In a country as poor in raw materials as Italy, being a leader in the circular economy, with the highest percentage of recycling for all waste (91.6%, compared to a European average of 57.9%), is a major competitive advantage.

Sustainability, in the three aspects of environmental protection, governance mechanisms and social sustainability (from safety in the workplace to the quality of industrial facilities (also from an architectural point of view: the “beautiful factory”, i.e. well-designed, bright, welcoming and indeed safe)), has become a real competitive advantage, even for industries built abroad.

This is a considerable strength at a time when talking about sustainability seems to be a counter-trend in many European and international political and economic circles.

Even in the recent past, green ideological and bureaucratic choices have been made in Brussels (the story of the hasty decision in favour of electric cars and the restrictions on endothermic engines is a case in point), which have seriously affected the European industrial apparatus, affecting efficient production chains and thousands of jobs. However, following the indications of the Draghi report on the investments needed for the double environmental and digital transition, the EU can develop its own original industrial policy that, along the lines of technological neutrality, allows the life and revitalisation of our industry, faces up to competition from the US, China and India, and strengthens European influence (and its economic, civil and social values) in the new geopolitical and market scenarios. In short, Italian companies with an awareness of the green economy are on the right track.

The words of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella ring true: “For too long, we have addressed the issue of the environment and climate change inadequately, artificially pitting the needs of the present against the needs of our children and grandchildren’s future. To ensure competitiveness, Europe needs to move away from fossil fuels in the long term and make the transition, highlighting – as the Draghi report does – the link between decarbonisation and competitiveness”.

Investment in culture is an essential component of this strategy. Culture and creativity – as documented by the Symbola report “Io sono cultura” (I am culture) – generate a total added value of 296.9 billion euros. And even in this case, Lombardy is the leading region, with almost 30 billion.

The virtuous relationship between industrial and service companies and the cultural industry plays a positive role in the context of a dynamic “knowledge economy”, also strong thanks to training and research partnerships, with a Lombardy university system that is also of high international standing. The same applies to the awareness of how and how much weight “cohesive companies” (those with a strong link to their region and to the whole system of stakeholders: a dynamic positive social capital) have, with greater incentives for innovation, quality of work, export trends and, in a word, competitiveness.

For most of our companies, these is about historic values (business museums and historical archives are good examples of this). And it is also about present-day choices. It is essential that political and administrative actors, as well as social and representative organisations, become increasingly aware of this (the Lombardy region’s law on the recognition and promotion of company museums is an important example that other regions could follow).

Companies, in short, are economic players, of course. But they are also social and cultural actors. And they should be seen as such by the wider public.

An old observation by one of the best international economists, which is worth rereading today, also bears witness to this. It was made by John Kenneth Galbraith in one of his most successful books, “The Affluent Society”, published in 1958, and then repeated during his visit to Italy, in Turin, in 1983. Here it is: “Italy has emerged from a catastrophic post-war period to become a major economic power. To explain this miracle, no one can point to the superiority of Italian science and engineering or the effectiveness of administrative and political management. The real reason is that Italy has incorporated an essential component of culture into its products and that cities such as Milan, Parma, Florence, Siena, Venice, Rome, Naples and Palermo, despite having very poor infrastructure, can boast a higher standard of living in their beauty. In the future, much more than the economic GDP index, the level of aesthetics will become an increasingly decisive indicator of the progress of society”.

Industry and culture, beauty and competitiveness. The lesson always applies.

A book is published that tries to overcome the clichés about women in the workplace

Women at work is an important issue for everyone, not just companies. However, it is an issue that has taken different forms over time. And one that today needs to be addressed with very different and more complex approaches than in the past. It is women in the workplace today that Luisa Corazza (Full Professor of Labour Law at the University of Molise) discusses in her book “Il lavoro delle donne? Una questione redistributiva” (Women at work? A question of redistribution), which will be published in a few days.

Corazza begins with an objective observation: empirical data show the persistence of discrimination against women in the labour market and in companies. By studying the causes and the precise distribution of this inequality, it is possible to propose a new programme that combines anti-discrimination legislation with policies capable of overcoming the pay gap that still exists, as well as the numerous cases of discrimination. However, we need to start from a new perspective, which is no longer one of “reconciliation” (between work and family life) but of “balance”. An approach that no longer sees “women” at work, but “parents and carers”. Moreover, more attention needs to be paid to the spread of remote working and, in particular, to its gender distribution. In other words, it is not a question of thinking “only about women”, but about the whole labour market, companies and the organisation of work within them.

Luisa Corazza’s analysis is therefore based on a snapshot of anti-discrimination law and, in particular, on the notion of gender discrimination. The book then moves on to the methods of protection and thus to the theme of overcoming discrimination through the concept of redistribution of tasks and the re-examination of the entire business organisation. The burning issue of bridging the pay gap is the last topic that the author examines.

Luisa Corazza’s book is a useful technical basis on which to build a new culture of women at work in companies and, if you think about it, of work in general. To be read and implemented.

Il lavoro delle donne? Una questione redistributiva

Luisa Corazza

Franco Angeli, 2025

An essay on philosophy, law and economics helps explain an important concept for all

Trust, as the basis of good human relations, and also, on closer examination, the economy which becomes an instrument of development and well-being. A seemingly simple concept, trust deserves special attention, especially today in a time of digital confusion. This is what makes “Alle origini della fiducia: tra filosofia, diritto ed economia” (The origins of trust: from philosophy and law to economics) such an interesting read. The recent essay by Giordana Truscelli, Paolo D’Erasmo and Riccardo Merli discusses different but related aspects of the idea of trust and addresses some of the multiple implications of this concept at the philosophical, legal and economic levels.
A multidisciplinary approach, therefore, which seemed to the authors to be the only one capable of “transcending the now obsolete boundaries of individual scientific disciplines in order to grasp the meaning and direction of the transformations taking place”. Indeed, because like many of the cornerstones of civilised life, that of trust is often subject to a revision that risks becoming destructive.
In the first part of the essay, they examine trust from a philosophical point of view, but with a strong connection to the latest available technologies and thus to Artificial Intelligence, and try to answer exactly what the philosophical implications of this principle might be following the recent introduction of the European AI Act. The second part, on the other hand, explores the links between trust and control, and therefore between this and the rules of the legal system. In the final part, the authors then attempt to outline the ideas that legal and economic science can provide about the need to establish new relationships between this principle and the economic and social system.
Truscelli, D’Erasmo and Merli’s research is not an easy read, but it is certainly important for the creation of a correct production and business culture. Particularly interesting and important is one of the final paragraphs of the research: “Assuming, therefore, that trust cannot be generated or spread spontaneously, nor can it be imposed from above, it must be cultivated by means of prudent economic policies in synergy with an adequate regulatory system, functional to the stabilisation of expectations and, consequently, to the achievement of satisfactory objectives in terms of system efficiency and the growth of legal culture”. In other words, building trust through shared and recognised rules.

Alle origini della fiducia: tra filosofia, diritto ed economia
Giordana Truscelli, Paolo D’Erasmo, Riccardo Merli (University of Teramo)
Rivista trimestrale di scienze dell’amministrazione, 4/2024

Investing in science. Teaching science. Reading the documents of the new course of the Leonardo Foundation, chaired by Luciano Floridi (after the long presidency of Luciano Violante), several considerations come to mind. Here, the aim is to bring the scientific method to bear on the economy, the environment, health, nutrition and all the other difficult, ambitious and controversial challenges of our restless times, and therefore to work hard to heal the rift that, in the course of the twentieth century, separated “the two cultures”, that is, humanistic knowledge from scientific knowledge, thus slowing down Italy’s progress and economic growth. In short, how to strengthen that “polytechnic culture” which, in the splendour of Humanism and the Renaissance, deeply shaped “Italian identity” and gave to the civilisation of the world the example of figures who were both artists and scientists (Leonardo da Vinci, Piero della Francesca and Leon Battista Alberti are only the most important of the many names we could mention).

Floridi is a philosopher with an interest in epistemology and ethics in the world of information technology, who has taught at Oxford and leads the Digital Ethics Centre at Yale University in the US. And now he has stepped up his involvement in Italy to support a series of science education and research programmes in Italian schools and universities. The Leonardo Foundation is an instrument for this, also in conjunction with the Treccani Foundation‘s projects.

“A scuola di Stem” (At the school of Stem) is the cornerstone of the project (STEM being a well-known acronym made up of the initials of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), which was unveiled recently in the Sala della Lupa in Montecitorio by Floridi, Roberto Cingolani, CEO of Leonardo, and Helga Cossu, Director General of the Leonardo Foundation. The Foundation’s mission is to “contribute to the renewal of teaching in schools”, to “facilitate the understanding of social complexity through STEM subjects”, to develop effective communication strategies towards the new generations thanks to an original platform of the Outreach Project, to reduce the generation gap with regard to scientific topics and to “develop scientific research projects through courses, scholarships, international exchanges, events and exhibitions”.

An ambitious project, of course. But fundamentally important. One which relies on the integration of different disciplines, knowledge, correlations between information, strengthening and relaunching research.

The development of the digital world and the tools made available by the spread of AI are helping, even if they pose new and dramatic challenges, both epistemological and above all in terms of values and meaning, to scientists, politicians, economic operators and the whole of civil society.

On the other hand, the great questions linked to scientific developments have long since led to the moral knot of choices (think of one of the finest pieces of twentieth-century theatre, Michael Frayn’s drama “Copenhagen”, which centres on the difficult dialogue between two great physicists, Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg, on the ethical responsibilities of scientists in the face of the development of atomic energy as a tool of war).

As a scientist and businessman, Cingolani is well aware of the humanistic relevance of scientific knowledge. And it is clear that the “greater democracy in knowledge processes” favoured by the digital world also raises social and political questions about the greater “complexity in the reliability of information” (the relationship with sources is lost and the processes of verifying the accuracy of data and facts are complicated, often degraded to “factoids”).

Floridi’s appointment is a step in the right direction: as a wise philosopher, he understands the ethical and social challenges that the rapid and turbulent processes of scientific and technological evolution pose for the whole of humanity. Challenges of understanding and of judgment. Also of governability and not just standardisation and regulation (as the EU does, technologically secondary to the great strength of the high-tech giants in the US and China, but also in India). In short, to use expressions dear to Floridi, from nomos, the system of rules, to paideia, human formation in the broadest sense.

Hence “a scuola di Stem”. And here it is also possible to find virtuous relationships with initiatives that insist on technological diffusion and corporate culture, on the relationship between science, technological applications and economic competitiveness. For example, “A scuola d’impresa” (At the school of business), the educational activities promoted by Museimpresa and curated by companies registered with the association, brings together museums and historical archives of the manufacturing world.

Perhaps, however, there is one more step to take. Not only to fill the gap in scientific culture and make it more accessible, especially to girls who have long been cut off from mathematics, physics and engineering by the false dichotomy between humanism and science. But above all, work on a new and better integration. A “polytechnic culture”, in fact.

A few years ago, Assolombarda (with the encouragement of the then president Gianfelice Rocca) created a new acronym, adding the “a” of art to the initials Stem to form Steam. Thus encompassing literature and philosophy, history and knowledge of the processes of artistic creativity, from theatre to music, from sculpture to painting and many other expressions of the representation of beauty. This is a path to think about, a path to follow, a path already well trodden by the best Made in Italy corporate culture, linked to the synergies between beauty and quality, innovation and a sense of history, the roots of the material cultures of the regions and an international outlook: the underlying reasons for the improved economic competitiveness of the country’s system.

This is an awareness that has been fostered for some time by the universities that are most sensitive to innovation and the multidisciplinary dimension that is essential to face the issues raised by the development of the “knowledge economy”. In fact, they also study philosophy at the two polytechnics in Milan and Turin. It is in particular the evolution of the structures and functions of the algorithms of creative AI that calls for the increasing integration of the knowledge and skills of cyberscientists and philosophers, physicists and sociologists, statisticians and economists, lawyers and writers.

And so, Stem is becoming Steam. “Two cultures” coming together again as one, with all their variables and complex interactions. Diversity in search of synthesis and to be practised as a strength. And to build economic value along the path of moral and civil values. Following the lesson of the “clear night” of science by another extraordinary Italian humanist: Galileo Galilei.

(Photo Getty Images)

A book of writings and photos tells the story of the industrial capacity of Turin textile and fashion companies

Art and technique, but also colour and materials. A tradition that becomes innovation and a creative industrial instinct. A technological calculation that is unique and a sign of ingenuity. Every industry has some of these factors, but the textile (and fashion) industry has all of them. A culture of creative enterprise that needs to be renewed every day to stay that way. This is explained in the recently published book “L’arte dell’eccellenza a Torino” (The art of excellence in Turin) and its subtitle: “La passione e le storie delle aziende della moda, dei tessili e degli accessori” (The passion and stories of fashion, textile and accessory companies).

The book is part of the initiatives of the Turin, the Capital of Business Culture 2024 project, and was published at the end of the year, coming at the end of twelve significant months. It tells the story of an industry with the capacity to produce goods that has characterised so much of the history of North West Italian business outside the car industry (and which is still alive today). An industry that produces well and with taste, you could say. This is the story of the companies, told in great detail in a book full of photographs (by Michele D’Ottavio). The images are accompanied by written pieces (by Elena Delfino) which, for each company – textile, fashion and accessories – outline the essential elements for understanding its entrepreneurial adventure. The book is promoted by the Fashion, Textile and Accessories Association of the Turin Industrial Union with one objective: to represent the entrepreneurial capacity of the region through a story in images.

The companies are thus described in photographs and words that capture an essential and irreproducible element of each of them. A journey into the offices, laboratories and workshops to talk about the passion and skill of the workers involved in the design and production of objects that are often the pride of industrial Italy in the world. There are a some elements that recur: creativity, modern technology combined with tradition and, above all, people. So when you flip through the book’s nearly 250 pages of colour, it is the humanity at work that is most apparent. The humanity that really makes the difference between a company and a business. And it can be seen in the hands – present in many of the photographs – in the looks, eyes and attention of those captured in moments and settings of work. Because real business culture is about people, not just techniques. Reading “L’arte dell’eccellenza a Torino” once again illustrates this beautifully.

L’arte dell’eccellenza a Torino

Elena Delfino, Michele D’Ottavio

24Ore Cultura, 2024