Reflections on the Economy and the Open Society Forum in Paris, before the next event in Milan scheduled for 12-14 May
Do not lean towards economic protectionism, which could cause regressive effects in the reform processes of member countries: this is the invitation which Mario Monti, president of Bocconi, offered yesterday to France, which is getting ready to start its own turn at the EU presidency.
Monti made this invitation during the conference on European corporations and the single market, the first of three appointments which were held yesterday in Paris as part of the Economy and the Open Society forum, organized by Bocconi and Corriere della Sera at SciencesPo University. France’s choice could in fact make the country slip back into defensiveness and protectionism, which Monti believes could be “ambiguous and dangerous”: “While I understand the internal policy motivations, I worry about the reaction in other European countries”, said Monti, adding that for Italy this would mean “an excuse to imagine a protectionistic scenario” and thus not produce those structural reforms which are necessary.
The president of the Milanese university suggested instead that it would be better to focus “on a Europe of security and not of protection, especially considering the importance of the immigration issue”.
And an appeal to not follow the path of protectionism, this time directed to the European Council (the meeting of heads of state and government of EU member countries) was made by the Italian minister of international commerce, Emma Bonino: “I hope that mistaken responses oriented towards protectionism will not be made”, said the minister, “but that the opposite direction will be chosen, towards greater competition”.
The Parisian version of the Economy and the Open Society was also characterized by debate on two vital issues: the degree of openness towards women and youth in our latin societies and in the job market. In discussing the first issue, Francesco Billari and Paola Profeta outlined a situation which is anything but hopeful. Billari, Director of the “Carlo F. Dondena” Center for Research on Social Dynamics at Bocconi, reminded the audience that “Italians are entering into adulthood and having children at increasingly later ages” (halfway through the ‘90’s Italy hit a minimum of 1.2 births for each woman).
Paola Profeti pointed the finger at the discrimination which our society has regarding women’s professional role. “Women have overcome the obstacle of education, but not the limitations which exist for entering the working world”, explained Billari, a professor of demography at Bocconi, and specialist in economics. The fact that there is such a low level of female employment ends up impacting the country’s economy: “If 100 thousand more Italian women worked”, added Profeta, “the GNP would increase by 0.28%”.?
During the conference held in the afternoon, the job market and flexsecurity were discussed. According to Tito Boeri, professor of labor economics at Bocconi, and Pietro Garibaldi, professor of political economics at Torino, the solution to this issue is clear: the path to take is that of the unified contract. This kind of contract would include a process of placement, stabilization and full-time hiring over the arc of three years. “The unified contract”, explained Boeri and Garibaldi, “should become the primary channel for entry into the working world, in order to rectify a situation in which companies no longer invest in training for employees and workers lack motivation because they know their contracts will end”. ??
Andrea Celauro
13 March 2008