The Einaudi Centre’s 2023 essay collection provides a likely approach for global social and economic systems

Blinded by wealth, the Western social and economic systems now have to face a very different economy and prospects than those existing only a few years ago. It is something that has had a – positive or negative – impact on everyone: individuals, enterprises, institutions, social and financial organisations. It is also something that needs to be fully understood, even just to stop deluding ourselves, starting with the notion that its complexity has reached incredibly high levels. Thus, the customary collection of analyses undertaken by the Luigi Einaudi Research and Documentation Centre in Turin (supported by Intesa Sanpaolo) will prove useful to tackle such a complex issue by providing at least enough knowledge to gain an initial understanding.

Dall’illusione dell’abbondanza all’economia dell’abbastanza (From the delusion of plenty to an economy of sufficiency) – the title says it all, and the book is structured into four sections and a conclusion. Mario Deaglio curated this volume, together with a team of economists affiliated to the Einaudi Centre, and the work unravels from a number of considerations. First of all, the international trade system and global balance that existed before the 2008-2009 financial crisis is now history. Secondly, the ensuing economic, social, geopolitical, climatic crises – which we are still experiencing – have thrown us into a world we can term “post-global”, distinguished by a partial abandonment of free-market rules, incentives for companies to relocate in their countries and the need – as well as the difficulty – of turning tangible plans into “green” projects. Finally, what happened at the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war and following China-USA tension is exacerbating a situation that is already quite serious.

As such, the book begins with an analysis of the “dawn of globalisation”, before pinpointing the weaknesses of United States and Europe, and then goes on to investigate the many wars that, though under different guises, merely replicated “Cold War” dynamics. The work ends with a couple of questions: will the emerging global rift lead to a highly hostile global environment? Will it slow down structural growth or is it just a temporary glitch? True to the Einaudi Centre’s earnest approach to research, this collection does not aim to find a single answer and merely presents us with a number of scenarios pointing to a shared perspective: we should forget those happy and rather careless times when we thought we could luxuriate in easy wealth and start building – addressing environmental concerns, for a start – an “era of sufficiency” in which to live adequately well. A path that this work curated by Deaglio finds feasible and likely.

Dall’illusione dell’abbondanza all’economia dell’abbastanza (From the delusion of plenty to an economy of sufficiency)

Mario Deaglio (curated by)

Guerini e Associati, 2023

“Risuona”, a podcast series by Fondazione Pirelli and Chora Media with Gino De Crescenzo, alias Pacifico.

A training project that explores the world of work and corporate culture

From today, one episode a week of Risuona, the podcast series produced by Chora Media and promoted by the Pirelli Foundation, will be available on the leading free audio platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, Spreaker, and Google Podcast).

The narrator is the singer, musician and author Gino De Crescenzo, aka Pacifico. He has written for and with Andrea Bocelli, Giorgia, Gianni Morandi, Ennio Morricone, Ornella Vanoni and Zucchero, among others.

During the course of four episodes, Pacifico rides his bicycle through the streets of Milan, telling stories of work, corporate culture and innovation. He talks of memories and personal testimonies, with the assistance of materials from our Historical Archives, which evoke resonances between the challenges of the past and those of the future.

In his narration, Milan is at the heart of an Italian story, mingling its industrial disposition and its approach to culture as a public service. It takes us from the years of the Reconstruction and later of the economic boom, through the energy crisis, and up to the story of the contemporary world.

On this bicycle ride through some of the symbolic places of the city – such as the Arena Civica, the Pirelli Tower, the Piccolo Teatro, and the Stazione Centrale – the sounds of the city interweave with the voices and stories of leading names in the worlds of the university, research, design, music and business. Echoes of Gino Bartali’s strenuous efforts on the Giro d’Italia overlap with the notes of John Cage and David Tudor’s “prepared pianos”: screws, marbles, teaspoons, clothes pegs, bamboo straws, and clockwork gears. Dino Buzzati’s words are attuned to the noises of production, from the traditional factory to Industry 4.0.

And everything “resonates” in this reflection on the past and on the present of corporate culture and work, in an attempt to imagine – and build – the future.

A book encapsulates a discussion on culture and technology between a philosopher and a technologist

Polytechnic culture –. an all-inclusive culture entailing a kind of production and progress that is mindful and respectful of people and the environment. A culture that affects us all and should push us higher, not drag us back or down. Discussions revolving around new technologies, progress, the different manifestations of humankind, ways to untangle the knots of the present and weave a good quality fabric for the future are always difficult. Yet, they are also necessary, and some tackle them better than others.

This is the case of Maurizio Ferraris and Guido Saracco (a philosopher and a chemical engineer respectively), who, in their Tecnosofia. Tecnologia e umanesimo per una scienza nuova (Technosophy. Technology and humanism for a new science), pursue an unusual line of reasoning and, in just under 200 pages, reach a conclusion sought by many yet grasped by a very few.

The two premises printed on the book’s cover actually summarise its essence: “The most powerful drug available to unclothed primates is technology, and the most powerful technology is capital. The alliance between technology and humanism can enhance this capital to benefit all, transforming it into human wealth”. Capital, then. The authors look at its various forms, applying their respective academic and real-life backgrounds – philosophy on the one hand, and technology on the other. As a result, they carve an intellectual path that, through various stages, leads readers forward and up, and following the assumption that, in order to progress, humanity first has to deal with what is compared to a “broken lift”, the authors decide to pay particular attention to capital as the key tool needed to repair it. A very special tool indeed – not purely in technological terms but also in semantic (mindful of content and meaning), syntactic (attentive to structure and ways of acting) ones, without neglecting its human traits (human nature and all its different, extraordinary expressions). Further, a capital aware of its environmental, scientific and technological impact, and of its distinct human features, leading us to the attainment of two key principles: “From everyone, according to our skills. To everyone, according to their needs”.

The authors conclude that the more technology and humanism are able to work together, the more humanity can beneficially move forward on its path towards progress.

Maurizio Ferraris and Guido Saracco’s work offers a positive view of technology, seen as something intrinsically human since the dawn of time, and something that is able to preserve and multiply the value of material and cultural goods, to the benefit of future generations – as long as it is employed with care and discernment.

“This work does not really make for an easy read, yet readers should persevere, without preconceptions and commonplace prejudices, as it is a topic that affects us all. One of its conclusive sentences is particularly striking: “Progress is not a search for goodness in a world that never fully dispenses it, but it is an endless escape from evil; and while it is easy to disparage it, we should rather make the effort to preserve and enhance it, keeping our aims high”.

Tecnosofia. Tecnologia e umanesimo per una scienza nuova (Technosophy. Technology and humanism for a new science)

Maurizio Ferraris, Guido Saracco

Laterza, 2023

A recently published contribution provides a clear and effective summary of a complex and constantly evolving topic

Sustainability above all – a goal we all aim for, yet only a few of us really understand its reasons and paths. Thus, the first question we should ask is, “Why is it so important for enterprises to “be sustainable”?. It is around these tangled issues that “La sfida della sostenibilità nella prospettiva delle imprese” (“The challenge of sustainability from a corporate perspective”) revolves, a contribution by Marco Frey (director of the SUM Laboratory and vice-rector for the Third Mission at the Sant’Anna High School in Pisa, as well as president of Global Compact Network Italia), recently published in a special issue of biannual journal Ordine di Dottori commercialisti e degli esperti contabili di Roma (Order of chartered accountants and accounting experts of Rome).

Frey writes that, “Nowadays, enterprises are increasingly expected to be the protagonists in sustainability challenges. The acknowledgement process concerning this role has progressively intensified over the past 30 years. (…) But what are the reasons leading to sustainability becoming a key strategic factor in today’s enterprises, so much so that CEOs of major businesses include it in long-term business models and strategies?”. Is it merely a matter of corporate culture, we may ask ourselves, or is there more?

Frey highlights three reasons why sustainability as a corporate goal is so successful: reputational meaning and weight, development prospects, and the evolution of the market and social environment in which the company operates.

Frey’s paper than proceeds to investigate what these aspects actually entail and emphasises their mutual connections, through practical examples and including the most significant institutional transitions. The outcome is a complex and dynamic description of one of the crucial issues that modern production organisations working towards a tangible and positive future must tackle.

Marco Frey’s contribution does not add anything new to current research on corporate sustainability, yet has the great merit of providing us with a clear and concise overview about a topic that is too often presented in confused and biased terms.

La sfida della sostenibilità nella prospettiva delle imprese (“The challenge of sustainability from a corporate perspective”),

Marco Frey

TELOS, biannual journal Ordine di Dottori commercialisti e degli esperti contabili di Roma, 4/2022

Looking at Milan today, through curious and unprejudiced eyes, it’s impossible not to notice its extraordinary enthusiasm for housing and urban planning – as well as financial and entrepreneurial – initiatives. Projects, ideas and investments suited to a city that likes to think of itself as smart (whatever that might mean: technologically sophisticated and astute, clever and elegant, sustainable and open to the future). A metropolis, nevertheless, that is strategically placed at the heart of an incredibly productive rectangle – one of the most dynamic in Europe – situated along the A1-A4 motorway axes (from the north of Europe to the Mediterranean, from the Atlantic to the west towards Asia to the east. A metropolis that, indeed, is true to its name: Mediolanum (‘In the middle of a plain’), Medium Terrae (‘In the middle of the land’).

Which initiatives are we referring to? Well, a quick scan of the newspapers it’s enough to get up to speed. There’s the launch of the Magnifica Fabbrica (Magnificent Factory) project – new art labs at the Teatro alla Scala and in the Lambretta Park, financed by the PNRR (the Italian recovery and resilience plan) and built where the Innocenti plants in Lambrate used to be, a site that epitomised the economic boom (reading Gli anni del nostro incanto (Our enchanted years) by Giuseppe Lupo, published by Marsilio, will bring back powerful memories and evocative impressions). The relocation of Metanopoli, the neighbourhood planned by Enrico Mattei for the Snam-Eni headquarters (and methane pipeline plants) in the early 1950s, extending from the south of the San Donato area to the new high-tech area in Porta Romana-Vettabia, already home to the Prada Foundation and the high-tech skyscrapers of the Symbiosis business district, and where the new Olympic Village will be built for the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Games, together with a “Smart Station” urban transport hub and a “Hanging forest”, a long “green walkway” inspired by New York’s High Line.

Furthermore, in the middle of the historic centre, right next to Sant’Ambrogio Square, the renovation works on the former “Garibaldi” police barracks have started, to turn the area into a new green campus for the Università Cattolica. And activities related to the building of 12 new skyscrapers are also ongoing, with worksites approved and in operation in the Lampugnano and Porta Nuova neighbourhoods (which already accommodate the pointy Unicredit skyscraper designed by Cesar Pelli, on Gae Aulenti Square, and where the “Nido verticale” (“Vertical Nest”), the Unipol Tower conceived by Mario Cucinella has just been completed), while Stefano Boeri is designing a new “vertical forest” extending over the area where the former Porta Genova train station used to be).

In the meantime, in the heart of the city, a few hundred metres from the Duomo and the University of Milan (located in the magnificent Renaissance-style building that housed the former Ospedale Maggiore hospital, designed by architect Filarete, on Via Festa del Perdono), the laborious renovation of a symbolic building, the Velasca Tower, is almost completed. It’ll be surrounded by an elegant pedestrian area that will also include the Assolombarda building, designed in the early 1960s by Gio Ponti, the same architect who conceived the Pirelli Skyscraper.

Witnessing this blend of history and innovation, tradition and change, we can only agree with Francesco Micheli, man of business and learning, when he proposed to nominate Milan’s historic centre as a “UNESCO heritage site” (Corriere della Sera, 1 June): a cultural “heritage of humanity” to be preserved and enhanced through continued investments.

A city that’s growing. A “city that’s rising”, to playfully evoke the works of Umberto Boccioni and the other Futurists who lived in one of the most frenzied eras in Milanese history, at the beginning of the 20th century, when factories and science started thriving. Yet, too, a city that widens and conceives itself as “great”, metropolitan, open. Just as the Milano-Sesto project exemplifies, one of the largest urban renovation projects in Europe, involving the former Falck steelworks – an expense of €5 billion to create services, offices, a “Health City” with hospital and medical research centre, green spaces and social housing, with a particular focus on student accommodation.

“The city must be extended, with more services in the suburbs”, asserts Regina De Albertis, president of Assimpredil Ance, the Association of Construction Companies in Milan, Monza and Brianza. Yet, “without emptying out the city”, adds Gabriele Pasqui, professor of Urban Policies at the Polytechnic, concerned about the lack of urban policy decisions targeted at preventing the city’s large centre to fall prey to the whims of a “market” that, pushing up the prices of homes, shops and offices, could turn Milan into an exclusive site for high-income earners, even outside the Mura Spagnole city walls. The danger we must look out for is the marginalisation and expulsion of the working and middle classes, which would disrupt that social mix that, since always, has distinguished a productive, inclusive, competitive and social civitas, bolstered by industry and finance, as well as by culture, research, innovation and a welcoming attitude.

There it is, then, dynamic Milan. Offering more opportunities than the rest of Italy, and riddled with issues (the high cost of housing and living, speculation risks, the euphoria aroused by the “thousands lights” whose shadows conceal new and old poverty, widespread violence, a growing unease, cracks appearing in its ancient and densely diverse fabric, and so on – as mentioned several times in these blog posts, with the latest one, from last week, dedicated to Milan as Italy’s main university city).

The Council, mayor Beppe Sala and the Regione Lombardia government authority, together with governor Attilio Fontana, are seeking a productive dialogue concerning services, investment stimulus, and effective regional policies unaffected by political affiliations. Indeed, good policies and efficient administration are a must.

Yet, it’s precisely when presented with such dynamism and severe economic and social issues that more must be done. For instance, we should foster the – already widespread – attitude to collaboration between private and public sectors, also engaging the whole “third sector”, from volunteering to social organisations. And we should further widen and explore a honest debate on the sustainable future of Milan – whether as a “metropolis”, “large city”, “open city” or even an “endless city”, as brilliant sociologist Aldo Bonomi likes to define it, the “A1-A4 macro-region” we mentioned above.

A dialogic Milan, a hub of knowledge, entrepreneurship, innovation and sustainability, rather than just a driving engine or, even worse, a “city state” flaunting its many prestigious facets. Rather, Milan as a city at the heart of relationships and interconnections, able to blend metropolis and countryside, different territories, European and Mediterranean cultures.

Significant projects to this end are already ongoing, and we should keep a close eye on them: for instance, the relaunch of the North-West region, the traditional “industrial triangle” comprising Milan, Turin and Genoa, on which the three cities’ entrepreneurial associations are working, to deepen production, cultural and social relationships, aware that acting together means larger PNRR funding as well as greater beneficial impact. Or, further, the decision made by the Centro Studi Grande Milano (a network comprising entrepreneurs, professionals, institutional and cultural figures), headed by Daniela Mainini, to appoint Giorgio Gori, the mayor of Bergamo, and Marco Bucci, the mayor of Genoa, as “ambassadors” – in order to facilitate relationships and dialogue, shared decisions and more initiatives, all under a shared European banner.

(Photo Getty Images)

“Pirelli no es sòlo una fàbrica de llantas, es una cultura.” “Pirelli is more than just a tyre factory: it is culture.” This sentence, which perfectly captures the profound significance of Pirelli’s presence in Mexico, featured in the 2022 publication that celebrated the tenth anniversary of the first “Long P” factory in the country. This important step on Pirelli’s journey in Mexico was preceded by the opening of a commercial office in 2004 to import rubber products from Europe and distribute them throughout the Americas. A journey that – it is worth emphasising – goes back a very long way.

It was in the early  years of the twentieth century that Alberto Pirelli, one of the sons of Giovanni Battista, the founder of the company, went out to the Americas in search of the finest caoutchouc. His exploration of this world of huge potential paved the way, approximately one hundred years later, for the decision to open up workshops and sales offices and then, in 2010, to invest in a production plant, with the aim of effectively servicing the entire American market.

On 11 November 2011, the first Pirelli tyre was produced by the Silao factory, and one year later Felipe Calderón, the president of Mexico, opened the factory, which officially began production.

In the publication commemorating the first decade of manufacturing in Mexico, Marco Tronchetti Provera wrote: “This country presents exceptional opportunities, driven by both the positive trends in the domestic market and its strategic location, which makes it an ideal industrial base.” In other words, manufacturing in a strategic position for opening up new markets. While never forgetting the spirit of the Long P.

And indeed, Pirelli has taken many significant steps since 2012. Pirelli Mexico opened its new Training Academy in 2015, an expansion of the Silao plant was announced in 2016, and a Research, Development and Innovation Center was set up in 2022, also in Silao. This means that, together with its technology and research, Pirelli has given greater value to people in Mexico and it has continued to focus on sustainability as well as on safety in the workplace.

Safety, of course, but also quality, commitment, passion and cooperation. Pirelli in culture and work, in all its factories around the world.

A recently published book analyses the relationships between technological innovation and human beings

Innovation above all – a dictate that all enterprises (and business people) now take for granted, entailing new technologies that guarantee development. New, increasingly effective, efficient fast, rational and successful technologies. These are assumptions that permeate most of the advice given nowadays to indicate the right path towards (corporate and social) well-being and success. Innovation, then, as a first-rate strategy. Certainly, a beneficial approach in many respects, yet one that too frequently neglects the role played by human beings as users of such new technologies. An analytical and predictive flaw that often leads to innovations failing, which means that putting people back at the centre may still prove to be the wisest, and most effective, strategy.

This could be the message – a message to be shared – found in Confidenze digitali. Vizi e virtù dell’innovazione tecnologica (Digital confidence. Vices and virtues of technological innovation), a book of about 150 pages written with some flare by Massimiano Bucchi, who draws on his experience as full professor in science and technology, as well as a public figure popularising scientific knowledge in Italy and abroad.

Bucchi starts from an observation: we often look at technology with myopic – if not squinty – eyes. We only focus on technological novelties and forget the other side of the question: human beings and how they use technology. From here, Bucchi begins a narrative journey that encompasses innovations that are already part of our daily life and work habits, and others that are still in embryo. The book comprises 24 short chapters, each dedicated to a topic related to technological innovation aimed at individuals, communities and enterprises. The author analyses the practices that several innovations brought about, before elucidating the strong bond that lies between technology, its uses and, above all, its users. But there’s more. By looking at past, present and future technology, Bucchi also highlights the relations between innovation and human beings, revealing fragmentary and biased visions, adjustments and erroneous uses that illustrate the reason why not all innovations end up being successful.

Massimiano Bucchi’s work is definitely a must-read, and should perhaps be kept on the desks of all those dealing with innovation as a handy guide.

Confidenze digitali. Vizi e virtù dell’innovazione tecnologica (Digital confidence. Vices and virtues of technological innovation)

Massimiano Bucchi

Il Mulino, 2023

A research study collection curated by Sapienza University of Rome focuses on a major issue for development

Sustainability is the goal of all production organisations that wish to be in tune with contemporary themes. An achievable goal, no doubt – but even before pursuing it, its meaning needs to be fully understood as, after all, though the concept appears simple it does not follow it will be easy to attain. Indeed, while we should be able to reconcile good business practices with financial (and social) needs, making sure not to negatively affect the environment and its resources – which are becoming increasingly key to development – all this requires some precise guidelines, too. This is the topic investigated by a study team driven by doctorate-level activities in the field of private market law, undertaken in various Italian universities, a team now centrally coordinated by the Essence-Lab2 Laboratory and that, supervised by Giuseppina Capaldo (Sapienza University), has already published a first set of research papers.

These papers have been collected in Iniziativa economica privata e mercato unico sostenibile (Private economic initiatives and a sustainable single market) and expound on the need to explore and rebuild the notions of sustainability – in environmental, economic and social terms – as well as of sustainable development, with the aim of identifying the principles that may guide the relation between sustainability and private law.

Thus, the collection starts by framing the topic of governance in private institutions within the context of a sustainable single market, before proceeding with an analysis of the relationships between “circular economy” and “common property”. The work then goes on to explore traits more related to legal concepts: “environmentally-oriented” contracts drawn up “on solidarity grounds”; the path we should follow to determine the rights of “sustainable consumers”; issues relating to investments, choices and guidelines; matters pertaining the information that consumers should receive.

The papers collected by Capaldo build some solid foundations useful to the establishment – also in legal terms – of a sustainable corporate culture at European level, too, as the need for clear and applicable policies continues to increase.

Iniziativa economica privata e mercato unico sostenibile (Private economic initiatives and a sustainable single market)

Giuseppina Capaldo (curated by)

Materiali e documenti (Material and documents series), Sapienza University Press, 2023

Milan already possesses several notable roles – related to the economy, culture (with its outstanding theatres and museums), the publishing industry, an efficient healthcare system, fashion and design – and can now boasts of yet another distinction: it’s the main university city in Italy, counting 211,000 enrolled students – a third coming from other Italian regions and 11% from abroad. An attractive city, then, not merely for wealth, businesses and ideas but also for enterprising young people looking for better study, employment and life opportunities.

Life opportunities? Now, here’s the catch: does Milan actually still offer opportunities for a better life? Can an attractive city also be really inclusive?

Milan always embodied a welcoming and supportive attitude, starting with the edict issued by Archbishop Heribert of Antimiano in 1018 (“Those who know how to work hard should come to Milan. And those who come to Milan are free individuals”) and up to the 1980s, the grand buoyant era of “Milan is for drinking” (paraphrasing Marco Mignani’s extraordinary advertising campaign for herbal liqueur Amaro Ramazzotti, which epitomised bustling vibrancy and sophisticated elegance, as well as precious civic values). Now, however, as witnessed by the criticism and self-criticism prevalent on printed newspapers (including the latest wonderful issue of Città – Cities – recently published and presented at the Franco Parenti Theatre) and on digital media, a growing unease is spreading – about a widening social divide, the contrast between glaring luxury trends (rapidly soaring property values, cost of life, gaudy consumption goods) and the hardships bearing down on both the working and middle classes.

“Here’s Milan, city of luxury: students’ tents and the former Seminary’s hotel suites. And the new poor flee” was the headline in Corriere della Sera (26 May), a piece disclosing the costs and opulence of a super hotel on Corso Venezia, erected where the austere Archiepiscopal Seminary used to be.

And yet, “students’ tents”, too – so much so for those above-mentioned prominent roles and contradictions of this university town. Students pitched tents in front of the Polytechnic, to protest against high rents and the poor life conditions they are experiencing in Milan – students who, considering the dynamics existing between Milan, Italy and the world, could well represent a driving force for development – for sustainable, environmental and social development, in fact, if these same students succeed in harnessing those Milanese traditions combining productivity and civic responsibility, competitiveness and solidarity. Traditions that, nowadays, are in shambles.

There are issues affecting the link between future opportunities and academic content (as Italian President Sergio Mattarella aptly reminded us, recalling the figure of Don Milani in the 100th anniversary of his birth as he reiterated the significance of quality education as a learning tool for acquiring notions pertaining to the common good and civic responsibility). And, further, current figures are problematic: Italy has too few graduates and too many “NEET” (young people not engaged in education, employment or training), too many people with decreasing literacy skills and too many high school graduates unable to adequately understand a text and perform average mathematical tasks (as mentioned in last week’s blog). Thus, in such a context, the protest organised by Milanese students and the criticism on the future of education – occurring in Italy’s main university city – forces us to reflect on a phenomenon that’s not localised at all but affects the whole country.

But let’s take a better look at the data concerning Milan’s academic nature – data collected and analysed by MHEO (Milan Higher Education Observatory), a body founded by the University of Milan in collaboration with CINECA University Consortium and Deloitte, which is part of the MUSA (Multilayered Urban Sustainable Action) ecosystem of technology and sustainable innovation project connected to the PNRR (Italian recovery and resilience plan) Education and Research Mission (a mission that should lead to the achievement of ambitious reform goals and more effective education in Italy).

After scrutinising fully up-to-date (up to 2022) official data, MHEO reported that the Lombardy region features 65 tertiary education institutions (the same number as in the whole of Portugal), including 15 universities (8 in Milan), 15 AFAM (Higher Education for Art, Music and Dance institutions, such as the Brera Academy and the Conservatory) and 24 ITS Academies (Higher Technical Institutes, which are rapidly expanding also thanks to initiative implemented by companies in need of a quality workforce with solid technical and scientific skills).

MHEO’s data further reveals that the 211,000 “Milanese” students amount to 12.1% of all Italian university students over the three years of study (to which can be added another 6.8% of students from the Lombardy region) and 14.7% of students enrolled on Master’s degrees. In terms of enrolment numbers, the top four universities include the University of Milan, the Polytechnic of Milan and the Università Cattolica of Milan, while the fourth is eCampus, an online university, which reveals a growing trend towards “remote education” – a phenomenon whose growth we should keep an eye on (during the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdown acted as an accelerator).

There’s one more piece of data to be considered: in Milan, there’s only one programme without an enrolment cap – all others apply a restricted number policy. This illustrates the difficulty that universities and other academies are experiencing in dealing with too many requests from both Italian and international applicants (the most sought-after universities are the Polytechnic and the Bocconi University).

The issues brought to light by this data, and by the student protests, are plain to see, then: how to deal with such interest, and which services does it entail? Milan’s attractiveness is certainly a source of social, cultural and civic wealth yet, over time, it might turn the tables on Milan and reduce it to a space for non-resident “city users”, where one may gain an education and flee immediately after.

The aim, then, should be that of reviving the city’s supportive nature and its strong traditions rooted in reforms and industry, by embracing the teachings of “industrial humanism”, which nowadays is evolving into “digital humanism” – teachings that permeate our best enterprises and the practices of a productive middle class marked by a powerful civic attitude. We should put an end to – or at least restrain, as much as possible – this wave of exasperating “events” that are turning Milan into “a large display window, a humongous performance” (a sharp outline by sociologist Giampaolo Nuvolati, la Repubblica, 28 May).

Hence, this is a challenge on cultural, political and social levels. A challenge that demands urban redevelopment (we could wisely profit from the opportunities offered by those large former industrial areas currently under regeneration and redesign, which include Milan’s seven old railway hubs). A challenge that necessitates new housing policies (to oppose, or at least restrict, “short-term rentals” aimed at “touch and go” tourism – policies that, incidentally, have already been implemented in Paris and Berlin, with positive results), as well as transport structures and services. In order to make Milan liveable, accessible, stimulating – for its students, too – as well as welcoming, attractive and inclusive.

The future, as we all know, lies in the opportunities entailed by the knowledge economy, and the whole Italian industry is going in that direction. Milan, Italy’s main university city, cannot waste the chance to become its driving force, acting within a virtuous network system engaging other Italian and European universities.

(photo Getty Images)

A recently published book retraces the story of one of the greatest entrepreneurs of the 20th century

The life of an (exceptional) entrepreneur narrated by those who knew him, with very few figures, and, likewise, little economic and management analysis, yet plenty of real-life accounts. This is the style adopted by Salvatore Giannella to narrate the life of Michele Ferrero – to narrate the story of a man who built a confectionery industry empire almost from scratch, instigated a new consumption model and, through his products, became a familiar name to entire generations.

The title of the book, Michele Ferrero. Condividere valori per creare valore (Michele Ferrero. Sharing values to create value) already says it all: an entrepreneur depicted through his life and work tenets. The book further narrates the evolution of one of the greatest enterprises in the world – in its sector, at least (though not limited to it). The style of Giannella’s work is reminiscent of a journalistic essay that retraces the life of Ferrero through a number of significant accounts acquired by interviewing dozens of people who were close to “Mr Michele”. A laborious yet successful effort, which Giannella explains by quoting the great journalist (and writer) Dino Buzzati: “The first steadfast rule of a reporter’s job, in order to take great women and men off their pedestals and reveal their human nature – as they are human, after all – is to go where they used to live and accumulate as many accounts, quotes and notes as possible, become unpopular by pestering a lot of people, and work hard: basically, it simply consists in digging”. An effort undertaken in order to comprehend, and therefore narrate, the life and approaches of a legendary figure, as, after all, that is what Michele Ferrero was and still is.

The outcome of Giannella’s “digging” is an extremely readable book of little less than 300 pages that reveals the features of a great figure who possessed brilliant intuition, an international vision and the ability to listen to others. A true legendary man, indeed, also distinguished by his painstaking attention to the quality of products, the needs of consumers and the well-being of employees. An almost excessively reserved individual, Michele Ferrero and his particular corporate culture stand out due to a few peculiar characteristics: innovative production methods, care for human values and, therefore, awareness of the social responsibility entailed in industrial activities.

Giannella’s book is a must-read, and also reminds us that while legendary figures may be unique, they can nonetheless always teach a lot to everyone.

Michele Ferrero. Condividere valori per creare valore (Michele Ferrero. Sharing values to create value)

Salvatore Giannella

Salani Editore, 2023