A recently published research study investigates the positive synergies between digital applications in productive processes and the latter’s environmental compatibility

Transitions: towards an increasingly digital economy and towards an increasingly “circular” one. Recognised paths that, though already intersecting in real life, nonetheless require to be supported by theoretical analyses focused on the synergetic relation between digitalisation and environmental care. This is what Derya Findik, Abdullah Tirgil and Fatih Cemil Özbuğday attempt to achieve with their recently published study entitled Industry 4.0 as an enabler of circular economy practices: Evidence from European SMEs.

The investigation takes its cue from an observation: while the investments of Industry 4.0 enterprises and the adoption of circular economy practices are seen as indispensable to a sustainable economy, the synergies deriving from their interaction have been much less systematically and empirically verified.

The overriding question is: which synergetic impact can the interaction between the investments concerning these two transformation paths of production organisations generate? An important question, whose answer is not trivial, even though, as the authors emphasise, it is expected that these “twin” transitions will mutually strengthen each other.

Focusing on small and medium companies, the research study examines the effects of Industry 4.0 technologies on their circular economy applications within the European Union and, indeed, the outcome of these econometric analyses corroborates a statistically significant positive impact of Industry 4.0 technologies on circular economy practices. However, Findik et al. go a step further, observing how these results indicate a need to prioritise, in economic policies, plans for the dissemination of Industry 4.0 components, in order to enhance and boost SMEs’ circular economy practices. Moreover, and from a more general standpoint, this work’s findings illustrates how Industry 4.0 technologies are indeed beneficial to companies’ environmental strategies, as well as digital and industrial ones.

Industry 4.0 as an enabler of circular economy practices: Evidence from European SMEs

Derya Findik, Abdullah Tirgil, Fatih Cemil Özbuğday
Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 410.

When discussing the future of Milan, in this era of radical transformation affecting geopolitical, economic, social and cultural contexts, it’s useful bearing in mind that the ancient Romans used two very different terms to describe a city: urbs and civitas. The former comprised buildings and infrastructures, streets and squares, government palaces and theatres, temples and markets, in their entirety, while the latter referred to the cives, the citizens, seen as a community animated by political and personal rights and responsibilities that shaped citizenship and its legal status.

Places, laws, community ties, projects.

Bricks that, cemented by judicial and cultural balance, represented the foundation on which to build the future.

Latin, as we all know, it’s a “precise, minimalist” language, unsuitable for “demagogues and charlatans”, as renowned author and master of pointed irony Giovanni Guareschi loved to say. And, nowadays, the distinction between urbs and civitas, between material spaces and immaterial laws, policies and culture, suggests that we do need to revive that spirit of community and coexistence, of civic belonging, of shared rules and notions, so as to avoid deterioration – felt by many as a threat that could swallow up a city whose population, after all, is currently still open-minded, innovative, European, entrepreneurial and supportive. To avert, in other words, a fate where streets and squares become increasingly choked with non-resident ‘city users’ and progressively deserted by its cives, its citizens.

Over the past months, the debate on the future of Milan has intensified on both authoritative newspapers and social media, centring on issues that, by all means, affect the quality of life and employment in metropolises all over the world – including, in Europe, London and Paris. Yet, with respect to Milan, these issues threaten to drown and engulf those features that, above all and over time, made it a very special city: a city that’s not a capital yet boasts a very prominent international profile, a city that’s not large (with a mid-sized population of 1.4 million inhabitants) yet is magnified by metropolitan relations and business and trade networks. A city whose social dynamics are anything but provincial, and as such peculiar within the Italian context. A city where global economic and financial activities interweave, turning it into a hub for multinationals’ projects and investments. Yet also a city showing a remarkable inclination for social integration (all newcomers are immediately assimilated into the Milanese lifestyle, a trait already noted by Alessandro Manzoni and Stendhal).

Milan is, indeed, a city rife with relationships and pluralism, where diversity is seen as richness, whose spirit suggests that you’re not born, but you “become” Milanese – an attitude that betray both its historical awareness and a tendency to innovation, a blend of native pride and fondness for an open, dialogic and heterogeneous identity, simultaneously urbs and civitas.

These strengths are still present, of course, but they’re now threatened by various recent phenomena that are causing fissures and wounds, such as those that are currently being debated.

And what are these phenomena? The already high and ever-increasing cost of life, starting with housing rental and purchase prices, which are pushing away the middle class, young couples, low-income “creative” and social sectors, consigning them to the suburbs, to the provinces even. A general feeling of uncertainty, both real and “perceived” (a “perception” that nonetheless reveals a growing sense of social discomfort). The idea that a transformation is underway, one that fosters the gaudiest aspects of flaunted wealth and showy social appearance while devaluing middle- and working-class entrepreneurial traditions. A pseudo-culture based on instant gratification and “presentism”, which is replacing the more tangible aptitude for high-quality cultural engagement in which theatre and music and art spaces are rooted. Basically, the notion that the “thousand lights” very much loved by non-resident ‘city users” and advocates of Milan as “the place to be” in its most superficial sense are casting shadows on a more substantial and far-sighted productive economy and on social solidarity.

The latest warning comes from Ferruccio Resta, former rector of the Polytechnic University of Milan, who reminds us of the wealth embodied by the 200,000 students attending Milan’s universities and, further, calls for adequate policies concerning young people (training and employment opportunities, easy mobility, a stimulating cultural and sports scene, cheaper entertainment) while cautioning the city about the “risk that young people will flee if we do not invest in them” (Corriere della Sera, 6 May). Thank goodness, the debate shows no sign of dying down, as witnessed by the seven tents recently pitched in protest by student groups in front of the Polytechnic – a symbolic, conspicuous protest against high rents that’s gathering followers and support.

Here’s the thing: Milan needs projects, as well as large-scale investments and good policies. Just as the enlightened governing philosophies of Verri and Beccaria – followed by the economic and social foresight of Carlo Cattaneo – taught us. And just as – more recently, from the post-war period onwards – we learned from mayors and politicians inspired by socialist and secular reformism as well as by social Catholicism, whose positive impact is still clearly felt and could galvanise the decisions of those currently in charge.

In fact, Milan is still able to combine high-quality public administration and the financial autonomy of private enterprises armed with a sophisticated corporate culture and capable of “overarching thoughts”, as well as good civic practices, and indeed it still provides spaces where public debate on the quality of social life and economic development can thrive. These are all qualities that, if pooled together, can prevent the degradation that ephemeral approaches and the “vanity fairs” erected by flimsy, shady, short-sighted new high rollers may engender. Qualities that may prevent a surge in discontented citizens, such as those finding a voice in satirical blogs such as Il milanese imbruttito.(The disgruntled Milanese) and, instead, inject new impetus into a more civic, productive, supportive and greatly dignified city.

Then again, the public economic debate has been focusing on the central role of “high-quality sustainable, environmental and social development” – as opposed to obsessive quantitative growth – for some time now, and an increasing number of companies, while still keeping an eye on profits, is now emphasising stakeholder values (those concerning employees, suppliers, consumers, the communities involved in their operations) rather than shareholder ones. Moreover, the development of a “civic” and “circular” economy is also being prioritised by entrepreneurial organisations (starting with Assolombarda).

Essentially, all the conditions required to ensure the continued influence and impact of positive energies generating quality development in Milan are still there – Milan is still a “city on the rise”, just as its history and artistic representations illustrate, and not yet a city bloated by speculation and growing, intolerable social inequalities.

There are some positive, inspiring examples, such as the renovation of the former Falck area in Sesto San Giovanni, one of the largest property redevelopment operations in Europe. Here, after an initial phase dedicated to the service industry and luxury homes, a new agreement has been struck to prioritise residential housing at prices suitable to middle-class buyers, and including a significant share of low-rent social housing (ideal for student and young graduates, for instance). Technically, Sesto San Giovanni is not part of Milan, but is an independent municipality, though it’s nonetheless comprised in the city’s metropolitan area. And the players involved in this operation – Hines, COIMA with CEO Manfredi Catella fostering good relations with cooperatives, the ReDO project (by the Cariplo and CDP foundations) and, in terms of financial stakeholders, Intesa San Paolo – are all leaders on Milan’s economic scene. Hence, such a model could be replicated and extended, and municipal and regional authorities could meet in the middle to implement beneficial policies and thus prevent social and civic deterioration.

Milan needs to be more like a civitas – the kind of more civilised and civic-minded city that, ultimately, Italy is in desperate need of.

(photo Getty Images)

“Dearest Dad…”. The story of Pirelli in Brazil began over a hundred years ago, when Giovanni Battista Pirelli sent his son Alberto to South America to report on the state of the plantations of rubber, or cautchouc. The young Alberto enthusiastically told his father about his journey of exploration in typewritten letters, which are now in our Historical Archive. In them, he gave detailed accounts of people and natural environments, along with photographs showing the state of production and the potential for development by the company. One beautiful letter that Alberto wrote on 13 November 1912 reveals all his passion for this task, as well as his rare spirit of observation.
Pirelli established its presence in Brazil in 1929 when it took over the Companhia Nacional de Artefactos de Cobre, a company that manufactured electrical conductors and that became Pirelli’s first production centre in the country. From then on, the story of the Long P in Brazil became one of technological developments and inspired communication. A story in which Pirelli corporate culture joined hands with cultura Brasileira.
For a better understanding, however, we really need to go back to the beginning. Between 1929 and just over a decade later, Pirelli “doubled”, for in 1941 it set up Pirelli S.A. Companhia Industrial, which added the production of tyres to that of cables. The company chairman was Giorgio Pirelli, the third son of Giovanni Battista. Within a few years, the factory in Campinas and the one in Gravataí, near Porto Alegre, and later the one in Sumaré, were all further additions to the one in Santo Andrè, just outside São Paulo. Among other things, the first tyre test track in South America was built here. Last of all came the plant in Feira de Santana, which started operating in 1986 with a special focus on the environmental compatibility of its production.
As we have seen, a distinctive feature of Pirelli’s operations in Brazil has always been the successful bond between Pirelli’s corporate culture and the culture of Brazil. And one of the best examples of these ties – as can be seen in our Archive – is Noticias Pirelli, the house magazine that first came out in 1956, a few years after Fatti e Notizie in Italy. The whole life of the company in Brazil unfolded in the pages of Noticias: from visits to the factory to answer the question “Onde trabalha papai?, to the holidays at Christmas and Easter. And then there are articles on the many cultural activities that transformed the factory into the perfect place for theatre performances, exhibitions, literary debates, and more. Over the years, a fair proportion of Brazilian culture has found its way into Pirelli factories. Also, Noticias reported on the countless sporting events put on by the Club Atlético Pirelli (CAP).
Brazil thus became a land of exploration and technology. And, of course, it has also made a huge contribution in the field of communication. Power is Nothing Without Control made history in Pirelli communication and, indeed, in communication in general. And in 1988 the sight of “O Fenômeno”, the Brazilian footballer Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, in a breath-taking sequence of goals that ends by revealing his secret – a Pirelli tyre tread under his feet – was at the heart of the advertising campaign created that year by the Young & Rubicam agency. Previous editions had starred other athletes, starting from the many-time Olympic champion Carl Lewis.
Pirelli in Brazil: an expression of a close bond between two countries. It is no coincidence that, on the occasion of a state visit in 2016, Pirelli lit up the statue of Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado with the colours of the Italian flag.
A visible sign of the importance that Pirelli attributes to Brazil, where the company continues its investments in the twenty-first century, with a view to making the production of tyres increasingly competitive also overseas. Pirelli now has factories in Campinas and Feira de Santana, for the manufacture of car tyres, and in Gravataí, for motorcycle tyres. The story of rubber keeps moving forward, on both sides of the Atlantic.

A recently published book about HR widens practices and horizons in an area that is key to enterprises

Working women and men are the essential resources for success. In the past, companies used to “manage” these resources, while today they aim to “enhance” them through appropriate approaches. Le 5 lenti dell’HR (The five lenses of HR), a recently published book by Alessandro Rimassa, revolves around these tangle of topics.

The work is based on an observation: “Staff management” has been seen as a mere secondary, auxiliary function for a long time, only good for some things and for some people, whose support role mostly lacked really quantifiable goals. Then the concept of “HR manager” arose and developed into a more poignant Chief People Officer and People & Culture Manager. As designations evolved, so did the tasks and features of a “Head of staff”. A change in functions and culture that needs to be explored and properly understood, and that, to gain a better insight, can be articulated into a more defined path: from the management of recruitment and dismissals to caring for people in the workplace.

Starting from all this, Rimassa highlights how those at the head of an organisation need people in order to actualise their strategy and grow the business, but, above all, need to build a “people’s strategy”. This is, once again, a cultural change and requires, above all, a reassessment of how complex and challenging the role of those who deal with people is, as well as the fact that HR functions can no longer remain secondary.

Thus, the book proposes to “adopt five different lenses”– individually and more often all together. A design lens, to plan the best product that will meet the needs of the people and the company; a marketing lens, to create unique experiences that encourage employees not only to stay on at a company but also to become its chief representatives; a learning lens, to guide a continuous learning process; a technology lens, to invest in digitisation and information accessibility; a well-being lens, to build working environments where everyone feels at ease and more content, and therefore becomes more productive, finding their own place in both individual and professional terms.

This work by Alessandro Rimassa tries to summarise all this using precise and technical language and as such does not always make for an easy read – this does not detract from its usefulness, however, thought it does require to be read with great attention. A book that can really teach a lot to those who are truly committed to enhance people working in enterprises.

Le 5 lenti dell’HR (The five lenses of HR)

Alessandro Rimassa

Egea, 2023

The CEO of the Bank of Italy provides a clear overview of the past and present of international relationships

Globalisation as something to be first understood and then properly managed, so as not to leave anyone behind and not be overtaken by events. Once more, what is needed are the right tools. This is why “Globalizzazione e frammentazione” (“Globalisation and fragmentation”) is useful to read – a contribution written by Luigi Federico Signorini (CEO of the Bank of Italy) for Geopolitica, geodemografia e il mondo di domani (Geopolitics, geodemographics and the world of tomorrow), event organised by the Polo Universitario delle Scienze Sociali of Florence, held at the beginning of April 2023.

Signorini outlines, in just a few pages, what happened in the last decades, paying particular attention to the economy but also considering other aspects of the global social system. And he immediately starts with a clarification that elucidates the topic: “The word ‘globalisation,’ he explains, “may mean different things in different contexts or depending on alternative viewpoints. Globalisation understood in its widest sense comprises not only economic, but also technological, social, cultural and political aspects; aspects that it is not easy to untangle. At the same time, it has generated – and keeps on generating – criticism, enthusiasm and fear that cannot be ascribed to just one dimension, whether economic, social or technological. That being said, I believe that following the evolution of this process from an economics viewpoint allows to capture some significant aspects that might contribute to the current debate, highlighting – or at least attempting to highlight – the risks of today and the prospects of tomorrow”.

Hence, the CEO of the Bank of Italy provides a broad narration of what happened over the past twenty years, including just a few numbers (which is a merit) yet several considerations that readers will find easy to grasp. Further, he defines some points that are often left neglected. “If we consider the whole of humanity as a single community,” he emphasises, “the decrease in inequality achieved in the last decades has actually been extraordinary and the contribution that globalisation made to this phenomenon is undeniable. Yet, the evolution of inequality within countries, especially advanced countries is, to say the least, much more controversial”.

Thus, the globalisation defined by Signorini is a non-linear, non-homogeneous one, though he provides readers with the right elements required to understand and assess the situation, up to our present day, marked by the unexpected eruption of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

As such, Signorini’s contribution not only represents an excellent example of what a clear analysis should be, but also a key tool to comprehend what is happening around us. To be read and retained.

Globalizzazione e frammentazione (“Globalisation and fragmentation”)

Luigi Federico Signorini

Geopolitica, geodemografia e il mondo di domani event, Polo Universitario delle Scienze Sociali, Florence, 5 April 2023

And so, the ship sails on – to transpose the vivid metaphor from the title of one of Federico Fellini’s exemplary film to real life. In spite of everything. In spite of inefficient bureaucracy and slow and warped judicial practices weighing it down. In spite of the rust that’s slowing down our productive gears – as Italy continues to lag behind in European ranks. In spite of a precarious feeling permeating the employment sphere, especially disheartening the younger generations and women (as President Sergio Mattarella aptly reminded us in his speech on 1 May, International Workers’ Day). In spite of a public debt that keeps on ticking up – also in relation to the Gross Domestic Product – and continues to exert a worrying pressure on Italy’s vulnerable condition as well as on its social, and therefore political, balance.

The ship sails on all the same, as the latest GDP data attests, showing a rise of 0.5% in the first quarter of 2023 – more than was expected and better than that of France and Germany – and sufficient to drive up this year’s growth to 0.8%, with a chance of reaching a satisfactory 1% by the end of 2023 (higher than the alarming predictions made by the IMF and the Bank of Italy).

“Favourable winds are blowing and steering the course of the Italian economy”, comments the Centro Studi Confindustria research centre, likewise pleased with a drop in gas prices that is “bolstering the confidence” of people and enterprises, as well as contributing to the reduction of inflation (which is nevertheless still high, with negative consequences on purchasing power and thus on the quality of life of millions of families).

According to ISTAT, this GDP growth is pretty much reliant on all factors involved, from domestic demand and export to manufacturing and services (starting with tourism).

Now, the key question is, “How do we keep on growing?” On newspaper Il Foglio (30 April), Dario Di Vico rightly warns us not to squander the opportunities arising from investments generated by the PNRR (Italian recovery and resilience plan) and not to scatter resources by implementing tax cuts and redistributive benefits for particular social classes. Rather, we should target, through discerning policies, the material and digital infrastructures of which Italy is still in dire need of (education and training, healthcare and hospitals, railways, ports and telecommunication networks, including investments in 5G, regarding which the government continues to drag its feet).

This is the crucial issue that both government and political and social forces must prove to be able to competently tackle, so as to also consolidate Italy’s leading role within the EU context (also closing the chapter on the ESM, whose failed ratification of the ESM damages and undermines Italy’s credibility).

The GDP growth experienced at the beginning of 2023 brings back to the fore those comparisons – already widely discussed – between the extraordinary dynamism exhibited by the Italian economy in 2021 and 2022, during which the GDP rose of almost 11%, and that of its golden era, the booming 1950s and 1960s. Such a performance was largely due to those companies that invested, innovated and conquered their place on the international markets, companies that fully exploited the opportunities generated by new digital technologies as well as by the smart and effective “Industry 4.0” fiscal stimulus.

A lesson that’s still valid today. Indeed, we need to facilitate the environmental and digital twin transition, which several companies and whole production chains are already embracing, and the government should reward the most proactive economic actors.

After all, there’s plenty of economics literature explaining how to do it, as minister Giorgetti is well aware of. Moreover, actual tangible proposals are being made by territorial entrepreneurial association Confindustria, regional associations more deeply involved in development processes – from Assolombarda to the Unione Industriali Torino – and organisations in the Emilia and Veneto regions, as well as professional associations (related to mechatronics, avionics, chemical, pharmaceutical, agrifood, etc.).

What do companies need, then, in order to keep on driving sustainable development, employment, wealth and well-being, change? It’s always the same answer:

they need Europe – European industrial and tax policies, shared European decisions concerning raw material, safety and defence. They need a Europe not overpowered by “Atlanticism” – however important the special relations built on alliance and shared values and interests we have with the United States – but able to drive better competitiveness than China, India, and the other global protagonists, from South America to Africa.

Companies need people, and therefore long-term training schemes and qualified (or at least skilled) human resources, as well as smart immigration policies.

They need political and cultural decisions that will strengthen and revive the concept of “Made in Italy” throughout the world (going beyond the platitudes and provincial stereotypes depicting the “typical” Italian people). As such, they need international and cultural policies able to enhance Italy’s extraordinary distinguishing feature: a “polytechnic culture” that blends humanities and sciences, an aptitude for “beauty” and an attitude for high-tech innovation.

Essentially, companies need long-term certainties in order to invest and consolidate their competitiveness, as well as a fiscal stimulus promoting productivity (tied to salaries and performance bonuses, so as to significantly improve employees’ purchasing power). And, moreover, they need strong support in order to withstand the expansion of open markets and effective competitiveness (thus, ultimately, not having to capitulate to corporations and protected businesses, as the ongoing issue concerning beach concessions illustrates).

Confindustria, aware that boundaries can be overcome (through productive public spending) and opportunities seized, is right in reiterating that the public debt must be tackled and progressively reduced – just as the reforms to the new EU Stability and Growth Pact indicate. This would stave off risky negative assessments by international rating agencies and large global financial operators, which may increase the costs of loans to finance the public debt and thus decrease the resources available to public services and for development investments (indeed, Goldman Sachs’s recent doubtful assessments of Italian bonds are setting off some alarm bells).

Thus: the “Italian ship” sails on, to everyone’s satisfaction, though it does so amidst shallows and rocks, in treacherous waters, and it can’t afford to make any mistakes.

(photo Getty Images)

One of the many documents that reconstruct the history of Industrie Pirelli is a Diploma of Honour dated 1894. The first diploma of its kind, it was made out to “Signori Pirelli & C.” by the Esposizioni Riunite di Milano for “The bold and unique Italian initiative in the cables industry”. It was followed by a long series of awards and certificates obtained by the company for its participation in trade fairs and exhibitions, but also in sports races and competitions. Lithographic prints on fine paper, of various sizes, measuring up to 50 x 70 cm, the diplomas are often adorned with decorations or drawings, some of them signed. In the 1920s, a Liberty (Art Nouveau) and Art Deco style dominated, as can be seen in Diploma no. 1447, which was awarded for the company’s participation in the second Eritrean Trade Fair, in 1925. It is signed by Giulio Casanova, a Bolognese architect and artist specialised in ornamental decoration. The style also appears in the one signed by G. Valerio, issued to Dopolavoro Pirelli for its second place in the Donatello football cup, in 1928.

Several diplomas were created in the early 1930s by artists and illustrators who had taken up engraving by collaborating with L’Eroica magazine, which was founded in La Spezia in 1911. Publio Morbiducci designed diploma no. 1643, which was awarded at the Tripoli Trade Fair in 1930. Adalberto Migliorati created diploma of merit no. 1700, which was given to Alberto Pirelli at the Milan International Foundry Exhibition of 1931. And Francesco Fortunato Gamba put his name to the diploma dated 1932, which was handed to Società Italiana Pirelli as a founding member of the Casa di Redempzione Sociale of the Compagnia di San Paolo in Niguarda, Milan.

The diplomas certifying the company’s participation in the 1934 and 1935 trade fairs in Padua were created by the painter Antonio Menegazzo, known as Amen. An illustrator and poster designer from Padua, he devoted himself to painting in the post-war period before emigrating to South America and the United States, where he achieved fame as a painter who was much loved by American film stars. “Amen” was also the artist behind an advertisement for tyre paint made by Gumax, probably a company owned by Pirelli, as the enormous painted Stella Bianca tyre, now in the Salce Collection in Treviso, would appear to suggest. Among the names that often crop up in Pirelli advertising, there are also those of Manlio Parrini, who created the diplomas for the aeronautical show at the Fiera di Milano, and Armando Pomi, who put his name to the diploma that went to Dopolavoro Pirelli, which came sixth in the second category at the Torneo E. Massei, in 1931.

The names of two Belgian artists also appear prominently in the collection of diplomas: Antoine “Anto” Carte and Louis Buisseret designed two Grand Prix diplomas that were given out respectively at the 1930 Exposition Internationale in Antwerp and the Brussels International Exposition in 1935.

These precious documents testify to the company’s successes, and to its long-standing connections with the world of art and illustration.

The reissue of a classic of economic theory provides the chance to review market and production

The market as the expression of “mutual assistance” in meeting “reciprocal needs”, with business transactions seen as relationships rather than conflicts and “public happiness” as the end goal of a (good) economy. An economy attentive to people is, basically, a civil economy. Current themes that we find – and rediscover – in an economic debate from a few centuries ago, written by eminent forerunner Antonio Genovesi, whose Lezioni di economia civile (Lessons in civil economy) have recently been reissued.

Genovesi, an eclectic philosopher from Naples, can rightly be considered one of the founders of modern economics. Forgotten by too many and for too long, Genovesi was the first, in Europe, to hold a professorship in economics (established in Naples in 1754) and his lessons have shaped this work (so much so that it is subdivided into two parts, i.e. first and second semesters).

The economy is thus scrutinised and explained from a viewpoint similar, but not exactly alike, to that of pre-eminently classic economic thought such as that of Adam Smith, who wrote his The wealth of nations around the same time. The similarity lies in Genovesi sharing with Smith the same critical views of the feudal world and the conviction that the market should contribute to building a freer and more egalitarian world. Their opinions, however, differ in that while the Scottish thinker holds a pessimistic view of humanity, which he saw as moulded by individual self-interest (the common good as entrusted to the market’s “invisible hand”), the Neapolitan scholar was persuaded that an individual is determined by the balance of two forces: self-interest and social support – in essence, Genovesi believed that an individual is shaped by relationships conducive to reciprocity. In other words, Smith only saw the selfish side of humanity while Genovesi saw its relational one.

Lessons are based on this premise, and deal not only with market, exchanges, profits, prices and much more, but also expand to include civil life, its rules, its civil virtues, up to the definition of ”common goods” as the foundation of society, and something for which the economy must strive.

The reissue of Lessons, which includes a comprehensive essay by Luigino Bruni and Stefano Zamagni, allows us to appreciate, in our own era, an economic vision conceived in the 18th century yet even more relevant today. In the first pages, Genovesi writes how “in an educated and polite society, studies in civil economics are useful to all social classes”. Genovesi’s work is superb, a book to be read and reread knowing that we can all learn from him, which is indeed a great opportunity.

Lezioni di economia civile (Lessons in civil economy)

Antonio Genovesi

Vita e Pensiero, 2023

A thesis debated at the University of Padua unambiguously deals with two controversial and much discussed topics

Development that is mindful of the environment and the role of enterprises within the territory and social system in which they operate. Two very (and increasingly) important and well-known (though perhaps not sufficiently explored) issues. Indeed, as it happens with all great notions nowadays: everyone talks about them but without going into sufficient depth. In order to properly understand such topics, effective overviews such as the research thesis written by Lorenzo Visentini, debated at the University of Padua, Department of Philosophy, Social Sciences and Applied Psychology, come in handy.

Entitled “The evoluzione della sostenibilità nei processi economici” (“The evolution of sustainability in economic processes”), Visentini’s work offers indeed a candid overview of topics related to sustainable development and corporate social responsibility, as well as their interrelations.

The study rests on the notion that “sustainability, not only in environmental terms, is a theme increasingly at the heart of day-to-day life for people, companies and enterprises. The latter, in particular, tend to be more involved in the debate, especially since being sustainable is no longer a goal but a starting point in order to be competitive on the market”. To tackle the debate on environmental and social compatibility of enterprises, as well as their related responsibilities, Visentini first begins by looking at the concept of sustainable development and, in a subsequent chapter, at corporate social responsibility, before examining them from the perspective of the changes currently affecting the business world. What arises is a picture highlighting the features of topics that generate heated debates, often controversial yet always stimulating and valuable.

Visentini succeeds in crystallising complex and contentious themes for his readers – themes that also affect corporate management and culture – and thus his research work represents an excellent guide on their current state of play.

L’evoluzione della sostenibilità nei processi economici (“The evolution of sustainability in economic processes”)

Lorenzo Visentini

Thesis, University of Padua, Department of Philosophy, Social Science, Pedagogy and Applied Psychology, Master’s Degree in Continuing Education Sciences, 2023

Here it is: the 61st edition of the Milan Design Week, scheduled as always for mid-April – more crowded, more dynamic and further abounding in events and business opportunities with every passing year. The stage of one of the most important global appointments devoted to furnishing, with exhibitions at the Salone del Mobile in Fiera fair, as well as Fuorisalone events that, nowadays, span across twenty neighbourhoods – from the Brera and Tortona central “districts” to the lively suburbs on the outskirts of Lambrate.

And here they are – unique concepts blending “design culture” and “product culture”, arising from an ever intensifying dialogue whose identity is increasingly defined by old and new international leading design figures and manufacturing companies, which – in the Lombardy region and especially in Milan and Brianza – also boast outstanding feats of engineering: indeed, the “top-of-the-range” furnishing that catches the eye of the most sophisticated clientèle in New York and Shanghai also features metal hinges that ensure perfect performance over time.

“Grabby Milan”, summarises la Repubblica (18 April), referring to the fact that “events, exhibitions, celebrities, show rooms and areas have never been as profuse” as during this Design Week. Here are the figures: 1,200 events, 1,962 exhibitors, 327,000 expected visitors, of which 65% coming from abroad, with a substantial American and Chinese presence (last here they amounted to 262,000 visitors), generating €223.2 million – 37% more than the previous edition.

Milan attracting talent and business, then. Milan as the focal point of one of the most competitive ‘Made in Italy’ sectors. And yet, amidst this vortex of great events ranging from furnishing to fashion, Milan is nonetheless showing some cracks – more noticeable to its inhabitants than its international guests – that betray the presence of some hardship and tension concealed behind its “thousand lights”, raising fears about a possible fall, over a medium to long period, from its great economic and social heights. In fact, as concisely emphasised by newspaper Corriere della Sera in a leading article by Dario Di Vico on the Milan Furniture Fair (17 April): “While we celebrate the virtues of beauty, the shadow of a city that is losing its inclusive nature looms increasingly larger”.

Let’s attempt to better understand the situation, while remaining aware that “events follow a sinuous course” (Maurice Merleau-Ponty) and that the distinguishing feature of most dynamic metropolises is precisely that their growth is steeped in contrasts and contradictions, rifts and conflicts, and that it’s down to politicians and public administrations – as well as to a civil society’s feeling of social sensibility – to devise and implement reforms and remedies to resolutely smooth out edges and rough patches.

Let’s look at some more figures, then, so as to gain an informed view of this phenomenon: the Italian furnishing industry comprises 16,000 companies and over 125,000 workers, and in 2022 its turnover was of €28.1 billion – an increase of 11% from the previous year, and the Intesa Sanpaolo’s Study and Research Department forecasts that the sector’s growth spanning from 2019 (pre-Covid) to 2025 will amount to a total 42.4%. An extraordinary expansion rate for an industry that makes up 3.4% of the Italian manufacturing sector, an increase that, as well as substantiating Italy’s international reputation, also helps consolidating the perception of high-quality and reliable ‘Made in Italy’ goods all over the world.

60% of Italian enterprises is mostly based in the Lombardy region, followed by Piedmont, Veneto and Emilia Romagna, although we find a significant presence in the south of Italy, too, such as in the Campania and Puglia regions (the “lounge district” in Altamura, for instance). The sector also counts over 20,000 design and services professionals, vigorously driving the creative side of products and materials, as well as a continuously evolving “quality Italian lifestyle” increasingly embraced by the whole world.

Proof of this can be found in the “Design Economy” report curated by the Symbola Foundation, Deloitte Private and PoliDesign (and supported by ADI, the Italian Association for Industrial Design, promoter of “Il Compasso d’Oro” – the Golden Compass Award – the industry’s highest recognition), which illustrates how Italy has now overtaken Germany – its main competitor – as the top country in Europe for number of companies, turnover and workers (Il Sole24Ore, 15 April).

A significant European record, achieved over time and, nowadays, also built on the environmental and social sustainability of manufacturing companies, which benefits both territories and supply chains as well as being a key competitive factor. Ermete Realacci, president of Symbola, explains that: “The identification of sustainable products as better quality products is a formidable drive for the Italian economy. The transition represents a great opportunity. Yet, we need to tackle it by drawing on the country’s strengths. And design is precisely one of them”.

Milan, the capital of such processes, enjoys their advantages and feeds on their development, just like a real global city with an extraordinary ability for blending culture and manufacturing, product design and quality, cutting-edge technologies and aesthetics, scientific research and the humanities, aware of its industrial history while looking to the future.

Sturdy Milan. Attractive Milan. Talented and dynamic Milan.

Yet, is Milan still as inclusive as it always used to be?

A question on which recent criticism has been focusing, criticism by those who do care about Milan’s fate, as well as its economic and social balance – those who are witnessing, with justified alarm, the skyrocketing of living costs, and more especially housing costs.

The property boom, in terms of both purchase and rental, threatens to drive the middle class out of town, together with young working couples, creative talent, students and professors from the city’s ten universities that fuel the “knowledge economy” engine and act as social glue.

And it’s these “great events” that are warping the housing market.

Here are some figures, just to get the idea: between July and December 2022, accommodation searches on Airbnb increased by over 2,000% and during the Milan Furniture Fair the “price trend” of €181 per night doubled, and even tripled, in the “design districts”, rising to over €500 (Corriere della Sera). Under such conditions, the phenomenon of highly profitable “short-term rentals” grows while the market for regular and long-term rentals freezes. Milan becomes an urban space for occasional city users and loses its citizens, and thus its welcoming nature shifts, community values decline and, over time, social deterioration and civic degradation might take over.

A phenomenon that’s been at the centre of public opinion for a long time now, and a topic to which Milan’s public administration, under the lead of mayor Beppe Sala – as well as other municipalities in the metropolitan area – have been paying very much attention.

A situation that’s sparking reflections about the introduction of restrictions on “short-term rentals” (Paris implemented strict constraint measures a long time ago) and the need for policies and urban decisions that take social housing into consideration. With a clear strategic aim: revitalise, in these changing times, the Milanese tradition founded on the strong tie between production and inclusiveness, international economic competitiveness and social support.

As Dario Di Vico believes, Milan “can take back control over its own fate, can figure out how to manage its evolution as a global city by tackling both the old problems and the new issues that inequitable modern times inevitably generate, can reconnect the threads that snapped and mend the social bonds that came undone. However, this entails that those who are able to effectively contribute to this process cannot make the mistake of looking the other way and cynically believe that things will just take care of themselves”.

(photo Getty Images)