The reliability of the Stella Bianca made it a symbol of what became known as the Golden Age of Racing and the benchmark component for the Italian automotive industry, to the point that in the early years of the decade over 80% of cars sold in Italy were fitted with Pirelli tyres. The Fiat Topolino, for example, was fitted with Stella Bianca tyres right from its launch in 1936. The unusual tread pattern was at the heart of the advertising of those years: it  took centre stage, playing the lead role in large format scenes that focused on the theme of speed. These were the years of the historic avant-gardes and Pirelli, which kept a close eye on innovative forms of communication, found in Futurism the perfect visual approach to promote the powerful, sporty and rugged “Victory Tyre”. In later years, the Stella Bianca also returned in more streamlined graphics and photo shoots at the highest artistic levels.

One fine example of this was created by the photographer Federico Patellani and published in Pirelli magazine in 1950 on the occasion of the Monza Grand Prix. This was where the young Nino Farina claimed victory in the very first World Championship in the history of Formula One, aboard his Alfa Romeo 158 fitted with Stella Bianca tyres. The camera is used in an unusual and unexpected way, for the protagonists of this shoot are the mechanics in the pits, the tyre checks, and the partnership with Carlo Borrani’s prestigious company for the manufacture of light duralumin rims. Our eyes are drawn to the Pirelli overalls and caps worn by the mechanics. In just a few precise shots, Patellani – who is known for his post-war shoots – managed to capture what went on behind the scenes at the historic race on the legendary Italian circuit, the most coveted by Formula One drivers after Silverstone.

Back to main page

The Premio Campiello Junior, the literary accolade jointly established by Pirelli, the Pirelli Foundation and the Fondazione Il Campiello, is back once more. The prestigious award for Italian works of fiction and poetry tailored for young readers aims to encourage reading and help facilitate access to literature among the very young.

This year, the third edition kicks off with some changes in the Selection Jury. The new President will be Pino Boero. Born in Genoa in 1949, Boero has been a full professor of Children’s Literature and Reading Pedagogy at the University of Genoa, Dean of the Faculty of Education and pro-rector of Education at the same institution. On the international stage, he has lectured and supervised doctoral theses at universities and training institutions in France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Sweden, Serbia, Argentina, Brazil, Korea, and Spain. A seasoned scholar and critic, Pino Boero has maintained a profound interest in children’s literature since the 1970s, contributing to many magazines and publishing several books on the subject.

Pirelli, the Pirelli Foundation and the Fondazione Il Campiello extend their heartfelt gratitude to the writer Roberto Piumini, President of the Jury for the first two editions of the Premio Campiello Junior.

The following are confirmed as members of the Jury: Chiara Lagani, actress and playwright; Michela Possamai, professor at the IUSVE University of Venice, former member of the Campiello Giovani Technical Committee; and David Tolin, bookseller and Board member of ALIR.

Fondazione Il Campiello, Pirelli and the Pirelli Foundation also thank Prof. Martino Negri for his contribution to the Jury in recent years.

Once again, this year’s Award is divided into two distinct categories: one for primary school readers, aged 7-10, in classes III, IV and V, and another for lower secondary school readers, aged 11-14, in classes I, II and III. The true protagonists of the Readers’ Jury will be young people from across Italy but also from abroad. It is they who will select the winners, whose names will be announced on 22 March 2024.

The Pirelli Foundation will be organising educational workshops on reading and books both for these young jurors and for all young bibliophiles,

To remain informed about the Premio Campiello Junior and its associated events, please visit www.fondazionepirelli.org and www.premiocampiello.org.

A thesis debated at the University of Padua summarises topics of lifelong learning and teambuilding

Businesses are made of individuals who, every day, work together towards a shared goal, with efficiency but also paying attention to the territory and the world. This is, after all, the key essence of good corporate culture, culture that, through different means, is making inroads within production organisations – caring for the human aspect of a company (and thus attain, more often than not, that kind of industrial humanism we are all striving for).

These are the themes that inform Eleonora Francesconi’s thesis, debated at the University of Padua’s School of Psychology.

Entitled “Lifelong Learning e Teambuilding: analisi storica e metodologie formative” (“Lifelong learning and teambuilding: historical analysis and training methods”), this work provides an excellent overview of one of the key aspects of doing good business: people’s training.

As Francesconi writes, “Conceiving human resources as the human capital of a company and as part of its wealth leads to invest in it, in order to make it more profitable in both professional and personal terms.” – avoiding, however, any pointlessly patronising attitudes. Thus, the particular attention to human resources is explained and analysed starting from the notion that this corporate function is a “genuine labour policy tool whose aim is to ease employment and work organisation in line with scientific and technological development.” In other words, training is a means to become more efficient and productive, as well as to grow in both individual and professional terms.

Francesconi’s study starts by outlining the topic through its historic and social analysis, before promptly refining relevant training tools and methods, and then focusing on the “group building” aspects that must follow.

Furthermore, this is not a purely theoretical work, as it also includes three case studies narrated by three corporate human resources managers and consultants.

Eleonora Francesconi’s study may not be adding anything new to the topic of appropriate training and people management in enterprises, but nonetheless has the merit of providing an effective outline of a complex and diverse theme, and thus acts as a good “guidebook” that contributes to a better understanding of the subject.

Lifelong Learning e Teambuilding: analisi storica e metodologie formative (“Lifelong learning and teambuilding: historical analysis and training methods”)

Eleonora Francesconi

Thesis, University of Padua, School of Psychology, Degree in social and work psychological sciences, 2023

The latest book by Gianmario Verona analyses the complexities of our times and provides a method to tackle them

Aware and attentive individuals, able to comprehend and thus choose the right path – all business people should know how to do this, especially today. Yet, though this is a goal that all could attain, in reality only a few succeed in doing so, even in such complex and difficult times such as ours, when the ability to first observe and then make a suitable decision represents a winning factor, for companies, too.

It is around this tangle of topics that Gianmario Verona – professor of economy and corporate management at the Bocconi University in Milan, of which he also used to be dean – wrote his Capaci di decidere. Prospettive e buone pratiche dai leader di oggi per i leader di domani (Decision-making skills. Prospects and good practices of today’s leaders aimed at tomorrow’s leaders), a recently published work that aptly succeeds in answering a question: are we still able to make decisions?

Observing real life is a key point. There are so many factors at play today that their intermingling leads to unpredictability – whether we apply it to the macro context of economic and geopolitical settings or to the micro context where enterprises, institutions and professionals have had to acquire skills and knowledge unimaginable only a few years ago, complexity is what distinguishes our era. Thus, the employment and production spheres are in need of completely new policies.

The author tries to meet this need by applying his own experience: on the one hand, his six-year-long career as dean of the Milanese university (from 2016 to 2022) and, on the other, the contributions he collected through 50 interviews with 50 executives sharing their thoughts on what may characterise the decision-making process of modern managers, if not of policy makers. The content is organised along three main areas: the development of digital tools, the need to take sustainability into consideration, and the essential role played by human capital.

The narrative background ranges from a retelling of the Twin Towers’ tragedy to the onset of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, leading to the realisation that the common thread is increased complexity, which therefore we must learn to tackle.

The narrative – dramatic at times – begins by describing the small pieces of information reaching the author at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, before leading readers through various stages: an analysis of “complexity and decisions” and how those three main areas inform our actions. The main message is clear: before attempting to solve a problem, it is important to first analyse it in depth and fully understand it. In other words, as Verona explains, complexity must be comprehended before we can resolve it. We need to know how to adequately interpret it, invest time in piecing together the context and dedicate resources in order to define the scope of action – without forgetting how important it is to work together, and also employing the latest Artificial Intelligence technologies. The book is further enhanced by QR codes, which provide access to the 50 executive chats the author had with 50 CEOs and managers of great national and international companies sharing their ideas on the future and on corporate governance.

Capaci di decidere. Prospettive e buone pratiche dai leader di oggi per i leader di domani (Decision-making skills. Prospects and good practices of today’s leaders aimed at tomorrow’s leaders)

Gianmario Verona

Egea

2023

“The factory of ideas” – this is Renzo Piano‘s captivating description for the large space he’s designing at the heart of the Port of Genoa: a three-storey building right in the Waterfront di Levante, conceived to house research centres and innovative startups, in collaboration with Columbia University, the Polytechnic University of Milan, the Normale public university in Pisa and the universities of Paris and Genoa. “A concept can be manufactured, too. This is why we need a seedbed where new entrepreneurial activities can blossom”, insists Piano, referring to the intellectual and economic relationships interlinking across the north-west region of Italy, driven by a strong belief in the creation of sustainable development linking Europe and the Mediterranean area.

Piano has been very busy in this part of the world – renovation projects pertaining the Port of Genoa (where he still retains one of his main studios); the “Spina” development, i.e. the Pirelli industrial plant in Settimo Torinese, a bright and transparent “beautiful factory” set amongst cherry trees; the Intesa San Paolo skyscraper in Porta Susa in Turin; the former Il Sole24Ore building and the new Polytechnic University campus in Milan. Experienced as he is in civic architecture, he’s fully aware of how productive territories can become sites for enhanced growth, taking into consideration environmental and social sustainability as well as a more balanced and, at the same time, competitive European context.

Piano’s project, then, could inject new energy into the more general plans that have been debated by entrepreneurs in Turin, Milan and Genoa, by the leaders of Confindustria‘s three entrepreneurial organisations and by the three cities’ councils, banking institutions and universities, all aiming to join forces as part of a strategy to boost production and competitiveness in an area that drove the Italian financial boom in the 1950s and 1960s.

Nicknamed the “industrial triangle” in the past, it now goes by the acronym “MiToGeNo”, a combination of the Greek terms for “thread” (míto) and “to generate” (genein“), emphasising the focus on stimulating development and growth, and thus prove, as per a study by Prometeia, the benefits of working together.

Indeed, those territories generate almost 20% of Italy’s GDP and 60% of the entire wealth produced in the north east, thanks to the activities of 730,000 enterprises employing 3.5 million people. The manufacturing industry is their key asset, worth over 213 billion and closely tied to the logistics related to the Port of Genoa, while the turnover deriving from the so-called “knowledge economy” and “health economy” – the key pillars of economic and social growth – amounts to a further 170 billion.

And, in mid-July, some significant news corroborated the continued strengthening of this industry: Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, in agreement with the Italian government, committed to have up to 1 million cars manufactured in the country, thus overturning the current declining manufacturing trend and doubling production. An agreement that “demands an unprecedented rush”, as headlined by Il Sole24Ore (16 July) and that will relaunch the entire automotive sector, starting in Turin and the Piedmont region and then spreading to all territories involved in the supply chain, from the Lombardy region to the so-called “Motor Valley” in Emilia-Romagna, as well as traders in the north east and specialised areas in the south of Italy.

If we were to look at a map showing the interconnections between manufacturing supply chains (not merely for the automotive, but also for the aerospace, mechatronics, robotics and chemistry industries, ‘Made in Italy’ sectors such as agrifood, furnishing and fashion), high-tech services, the financial relationships revolving around the three main Italian banking institutions (Intesa Sanpaolo, UniCredit and BPM), the research and educational structures devoted to the “knowledge economy”, life sciences networks, and all tangible and intangible infrastructures, we’d plainly see that this is one of the most competitive systems in Europe, closely linked with all production areas situated in the so-called “mega region” lying along the A1/A4 motorways.

This really seems to be a new era for the automotive industry, not only marked by Stellantis’s commitment but also by the focus applied by the other great German and French manufacturers in fostering reshoring within Europe – conceived now as a great production platform – which, also driven by sophisticated technological innovation and productivity, is also reviving the north west of Italy as a key actor in the country’s industrial recovery. Indeed, this is a territory rich in medium and large companies, the most suited to cope with the demands of the environmental and digital twin transition and to best take advantage of the opportunities offered by Artificial Intelligence, as by extending the process to their production chains, they actually steer smaller suppliers onto a path leading to high-quality manufacturing.

Such a path requires robust investments in both innovation (after all, innovation is what enterprises do, and should be encouraged in this by appropriate fiscal measures, such as the one that eased the transition to Industry 4.0) and, of course, infrastructures – the PNRR (Italian recovery and resilience plan) is certainly a key tool to achieve this.

In fact, thanks to studies undertaken by Prometeia, entrepreneurial associations Assolombarda, Unione Industriali Torino and Confindustria Genova have established that the impact of the PNRR on the territories – an impact currently amounting to 28.6 billion in terms of businesses – could rise to 36.7 billion if all possible collaboration opportunities are exploited: those between public and private sectors, local authorities, universities, research centres and foundations, all leading to a more effective investment of available resources.

Which infrastructures should we invest in? Well, we should strengthen those involved in the logistical activities connected to the Port of Genoa, which would improve links with industrial areas in the Liguria, Piedmont and Lombardy regions; the Third Railway Pass, which would boost the remaining network for the European Corridor 5; the high-speed railway between Turin and Lyon; the motorway tunnel in the Susa Valley; and so on. As part of their dialogue with entrepreneurs, mayors Beppe Sala in Milan, Stefano Lorusso in Turin and Marco Bucci in Genoa, have declared to be ready to play their part in engaging with the Italian government and the EU Commission in Brussels. Moreover, the three regional councillors – Guido Guidesi for Lombardy, Andrea Benvenuti for Liguria and Andrea Tronzano for Piedmont – are very aware of the strategic significance of this North-West project (“Green light for the 2.0 industrial triangle agreement” headlined la Repubblica on 18 July).

Underlying it all, is a “polytechnic culture” strongly rooted in economic and industrial history, as well as embodying future prospectives. A corporate culture that ties together manufacturing, finance and services into a number of top-quality, globally-inspired training paths as well as widespread awareness in sustainability. All dimensions that are based on firmly interwoven values generating economic and social wealth. A key driver for employment, innovation and, indeed, development – and one to be harnessed in a much more effective way.

(Photo by Stefano Guidi/Getty Images)

A recently published study retraces 40 years of analyses on factories and labourers

Going back to the history of labour in order to better understand our current circumstances and therefore sow good seeds for the future. Retrieving the knowledge of past events to better comprehend the present is not a new concept, though it remains a valid one, especially in these modern times marked by growing complexities. As always, guides providing an overview of the situation are more than welcome, and guidance is indeed what Pietro Causarano’s work entitled “Da un secolo all’altro: leggere il lavoro industriale” (“From a century to the other: reading industrial labour”) gives us, a contribution included in a recently published collection of papers about labour.

Causarano’s work offers an outline of the main studies that, over approximately the past 40 years, attempted to interpret and explain industrial labour. A period, it should be noted, that is not far from ours, though its beginnings go farther back in time. In fact, the last decades of the 20th century saw the old industrial models crumbling, while new and not yet fully defined ones emerged amongst international and local market crises.

Thus, the author reviews this period by looking at various studies and illustrating the main features that linked them to the debate that distinguished that era. What arises is the narrative of evolving interpretations and research in industrial and labour events in Italy, a narrative that also reveals changes in corporate culture. The shift from Fordism and Taylorism retraced by Causarano also shows a path (not always an easy one) leading to a different concept of industry and industrial relations – a path that is truly coming into its own only now, taking us towards increasingly complex corporate models that, nonetheless, more genuinely represent our times. A production culture that evolves in unison with the society from which it takes shape.

Da un secolo all’altro: leggere il lavoro industriale  (“From a century to the other: reading industrial labour”)

Pietro Causarano, in Fabrizio Loreto, Gilda Zazzara (curated by) Fondato sul lavoro. Scritti per Stefano Musso (Founded on labour. Writings for Stefano Musso), University of Turin, Department of Historical studies, 2022, 3-16

Narrating Giuliano Zuccoli’s vicissitudes as a means to better understand the history of a crucial Italian sector

The meaning of doing business can be grasped through the stories of those who used to do business – stories full of humanity, dreams, projects, failures and victories; stories, even so – stories telling of how ingenuity can serve a purpose (not necessarily that of profit at any cost); stories we should all know about, as stories are also the elements of good corporate culture.

This is why reading the book that Biagio Longo has dedicated to Giuliano Zuccoli – the Italian energy sector’s undisputed protagonist for decades – can be very useful. Entitled Giuliano Zuccoli. L’energia che ci manca (Giuliano Zuccoli. The energy we lack), and recently published, its lengthy subtitle tells it all: Una vita per l’autonomia energetica del Paese dalla Falck a Sondel, dalla Aem alla Edison e A2A (A life dedicated to energy independence for Italy, from Falck to Sondel, from AEM to Edison and A2A). A book published in a special period with regards to energy, no doubt, though this should not be the only reason for reading it, as Zuccoli was an entrepreneur with vision who, starting with a hydroelectric plant in the Valtelline Valley, ended up founding what today is the second energy and environmental hub in Italy: A2A.

Longo, however, has not merely produced an essay on industrial economy or energy, but has accomplished something more significant – he narrated a life. As such, readers are led along a path that saw a young engineer working in a local dam in the Valtelline Valley rising, step after step, to the national and international summits of such a delicate and strategic sector – the story of a life, then, throughout which the author juxtaposes Zuccoli’s personal vicissitudes to his professional ones.

This also helps us understand the extent of Zuccoli’s achievements, especially today, as we face a global energy and environmental crisis exacerbated by the war in Ukraine: circumstances that seem to add prophetic power to the engineer’s words and actions.

When the narrative turns into essay, readers are regaled with a complete collection of documentation that also includes Zuccoli’s main communication tool, through which he disclosed, stage by stage, the progress of his industrial project: the “Letter to Stakeholders” that used to accompany the Annual Reports, through which we can glimpse in between the lines, year after year (from 1996 to 2011), the unique industrial plan he devised with the aim of inspiring and actualising energy independence for the country. A book by Biagio Longo that certainly demands careful reading.

Giuliano Zuccoli. L’energia che ci manca (Giuliano Zuccoli. The energy we lack)

Biagio Longo

Guerini e Associati, 2023

Here they are, philosophers about to enter the corporate world and tackle issues related to the economy, innovation and productivity, environmental and social sustainability, technological evolution and the quality of life and work. Collaborating with engineers and mathematicians, financial managers and cyber technicians, so as to best put to work all polytechnic knowledge tools required by the digital economy. “Philosophical knowledge: foundations, methods, applications” – this is the title of the Master’s programme launched in recent weeks by the universities in Bergamo and Pavia, in collaboration with IUSS (University School for Advanced Studies Pavia). It’s the first programme in Italy taught entirely in English, coordinated by professor Andrea Bottani and designed to establish a dialogue between the humanities and scientific and technological subjects, and therefore open up the market to professionals able to deal with the issues that will emerge as the “knowledge economy” evolves (Corriere della Sera, 12 July).

“We are witnessing increasingly complex phenomena. And this new programme we offer represents the opportunity to pool together different disciplinary cores and train people capable of meeting the new challenges that will arise”, asserts Sergio Cavalieri, Dean of the University of Bergamo. “We want to create a structural bond between philosophical thinking and its application to technological, economic and social challenges”, explains Francesco Svelvo, Dean of the University of Pavia.

An educational decision that goes beyond the traditional juxtaposition of “two cultures” – humanities and sciences – that has marked many debates throughout the 20th century (seriously undermining, especially in Italy, the importance and values of a scientific culture: a situation that persists, with negative consequences on the country’s public opinion and competitiveness, too) and that sets us on the right path, one along which training and study programmes and changes in the employment market can be fostered.

A decision that basically entails an open-minded and a dynamic take on philosophy and knowledge, and brings to mind William Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, / Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” Or, the wide world of science, as well as a world encompassing economy, environment, new employment roles and high-tech progress.

What will this new “Philosophic knowledge” programme in Bergamo and Pavia will teach then? Metaphysics, ontology, epistemology, ethics, philosophy of science, of mathematics, of logics and of the mind, as well as robotics, Artificial Intelligence, neurosciences, economy and business management. Moreover, the two universities’ professors will be flanked by guest lecturers from the universities of Cambridge, Freiburg, Zurich and New York’s Columbia University. “European dimension, international target”, comments Bottani, the programme’s coordinator. Including, thanks to the collaboration with Confindustria Bergamo and a number of research labs with links to the employment market, an intense collaboration with the corporate world – another bonus feature.

For quite some time now, in Italy, cutting-edge teaching and research institutions, such as the Polytechnic Universities of Milan and of Turin, have properly integrated philosophy and other humanities disciplines in their programmes of study, resulting in a highly effective multidisciplinary approach. And a similar attitude also informs the teaching and learning decisions of the Humanitas University in Milan, which trains medical doctors-cum-engineers, thus fulfilling and enhancing our increasing need for integrated knowledge.

Italy, indeed, brings its own original view to a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) curriculum by amending it into STEAM, i.e. adding the ‘A’ of ‘Arts’ – the humanities – to the acronym. This is something that, for instance, entrepreneurial association Assolombarda, with president Gianfelice Rocca, had already worked on about ten years ago, and which continued to inspire the debate on the quality of an education geared towards the entrepreneurial world and the evolution of the economy and technologies.

It’s an extremely topical question – who plans, leads and defines the governance of processes related to development in Artificial Intelligence? Who manages its complexities, so as to guarantee the continued supremacy of human beings? Who writes and updates its algorithms (as also mentioned in our blog post from 27 June)? Not only engineers and mathematicians, but also philosophers, cyber scientists, neuropsychologists, economics, sociologists, jurists and people of letters.

All bringing different skills and knowledge, diverse perspectives for the future that must be nurtured especially through crossbreeding and collaborations, because algorithms should take into consideration multiple meanings, different shades of sense, ethical and social themes, policies and implications of rights and duties. Human hands must handle artificial intelligence, with a full human awareness concerning limits, as well as an ambition to move forward, in order to create a “clear night for science”, to paraphrase Bertolt Brecht‘s Life of Galileo – and now, such a “clear night” can be glimpsed from Bergamo and Pavia, too.

(photo Getty Images)

A thesis debated at the University of Padua explores the social representations of work

Work in its day-to-day guise, but also in its social representations, as well as the concept of work and the reality from which such concept derives its tangible and accomplished form. Reflections on how work is represented in different places and times are far from trivial, especially thinking about the relationships of such representations as new modes of work emerge.

Sabrina Cameletti’s thesis, debated at the University of Padua (Degree in social and work psychological sciences), revolves around these themes. Entitled “Rappresentazioni sociali del lavoro ieri e oggi” (“Social representations of work, yesterday and today”), it embodies a concise analysis, including both a theoretical side and a case study, on how work and working have been “represented” and socially experienced.

Though not overly long, the study first tackles the topic from a social and psychological perspective, and then from a historical and philosophical one, providing a compact description leading us to the 2020 pandemic. The work goes on to contextualise the topic in theoretical terms and finally provides a “field study” (undertaken with a small team of employees at the Autostrade per l’Italia company), with the aim of uncovering the social representation of the concept of work as well as characterising the notion of “working well” both nowadays and twenty years ago.

Cameletti explains that as the social representation of work defines a production culture, looking at it from a particular perspective (that of employees rather than managers) makes it a significant aspect to be considered in any process related to the employment market and the relationships between companies and workforce. Further, the way in which the notion of “working well” has evolved throughout the years also illustrates social and economic change, and thus understanding it is useful to better comprehend the general evolution of economy and of society. Sabrina Cameletti has indeed succeeded in providing an effective overview of such a substantial topic.

“Rappresentazioni sociali del lavoro ieri e oggi” (“Social representations of work, yesterday and today”)

Sabrina Cameletti

Thesis, University of Padua, Department of Philosophy, Social Science, Pedagogy and Applied Psychology, Degree in social and work psychological sciences, 2023

Meaning, merits, flaws, limits and possibilities of one of the most used and abused terms of our times

Capitalism – a term hated by most, though only a few really know its true meaning. A complex term, for sure, though easily (or lazily) used by many, and as such a term that needs to be fully comprehended, also because – whether we like it or not – our economic and social system remains a capitalist one. Thus, reading Capitalismo (Capitalism), written by Alberto Mingardi and recently published, is helpful to acquire a clearer understanding of a word that embodies a particular approach to goods, work and production, as well as life.

Mingardi guides readers along a path that is not always easy, starting with an analysis of the term itself (the first chapter is entitled “Uno strano ismo” – “A strange ism”) before retracing its origins through the industrial revolution, its developing complexities in terms of factory production and commerce, and the role of the State. We then reach our present times, when capitalism – in order to survive – must renew itself and take into consideration globalisation, pandemics and those walls that, to some extent, have led the world backwards.

The author presents each section with clarity and objectivity, which is the right way to approach this topic, not only to remain objectively fair but also because this is a term that has always unleashed hostility – violent on occasion, manifest and intense at all times. Thus, as capitalism often carries negative connotations, to be really understood – and only then embraced of rejected – clarity and impartiality are a must, and this is Mingardi’s aim. Hence, the book (about 150 pages deserving to be attentively read) alternates between the merits and flaws of capitalism, as well as dwelling on the prospects of developing and living longer despite the inequalities it engenders: the poor get poorer and the rich get richer.  Over a century after its “birth”, capitalism certainly needs to be revamped, reviewed, reinterpreted, as it seems that no other valid alternatives have been found yet.

As Mingardi writes in his conclusions, “Let’s go back to our definition of capitalism: capitalism is a system in which decisions are taken in decentred fashion. We could describe it differently to a young person born in the 2000s. Capitalism is the opposite of lockdown. The choice for our future, how much paved with good intentions it might be, lies between one or the other. Or, in other words, a world giving the freedom to choose and be chosen, and a world in which someone else, though inspired by the best intentions, will choose for us.”

Capitalismo (Capitalism)

Alberto Mingardi

Il Mulino, 2023