Category: Economy

Jan 22

Is Mr Monti right for Italy?

The Italian Premier has been defined as “ineffective” by Financial Times, yesterday, and replies today. He may remember when the international press (The Economist) defined Berlusconi as “unfit” to rule Italy with different motivations and the same fate in the attempt to introduce laissez-faire economics in Italy.  

Dec 27

Europe: energy and ICT calls

Energy The Intelligent Energy Europe Programme has 3 calls open in 2013. Promotion and Dissemination Projects (apply here) -8 May 2013 MLEI Project Development and Assistance (read the Guide; ESS coming soon)  -8 May 2013 Build Up Skills (apply here) -30 April and 28 November 2013. ICT A new call of the CIP specific Programme …

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Oct 02

Italy’s world records -#4

Corruption costs Italy €50-60 billion in terms of GDP loss per year. That’s around €600 billion not spent on services in Italy in the last 10 years, Libera NGO reports. 12% of Italians have been asked for bribes in 2012, with financial outflows around €10 billion decreasing productivity by 6%. The reports bursts into the …

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Sep 19

Emilia Romagna to get record aid from EU Solidarity Fund after two hearthquakes in May

It is the biggest EU aid allocation since the Fund was set up in 2002, and will “help this highly productive region get back on its feet,” said on  Wednesday Johannes Hahn, EC Commissioner for Regional Policy to ANSA. The EU Solidarity Fund grants aid of up to 1bn euro a year to EU member …

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Sep 08

China and Russia sound alarm on global economy

China sounded the alarm about the state of the global economy on Saturday at APEC summit, and Russian President Putin also expresses concern. Chinese leaders call for stronger integration in APEC Countries (Reuters), while promising they will work to provide a better policy environment to attract foreign investments in China (Reuters). Meanwhile, chinese companies keep …

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Sep 01

Next winners in the global economy

Who is going to win the global competition between old and new economies? Dani Rodrik’s insight, professor at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, provides a three condition scenario for relative growth: “those that do relatively better will share three characteristics. First, they will not be weighed down by high levels of public debt. Second, …

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Sep 01

Oil prices in the next decade

  An influential working paper was released by IMF on The Future of Oil, and “its point forecast is for a near doubling of the real price of oil over the coming decade”. This is really bad news for the world economy, but the debate on its effects still languishes as economists and policy makers are …

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