Dealing with the ageing of the Old Continent to prevent a European Collapse
Article by Laura Governi | Illustration by Niccolò Cedeno For decades now, Europe has been facing an alarmingly low birth rate and the concurrent aging of its population. Scholars have argued that these trends could provoke the collapse of the economy. Are we equipped to work on the necessary...
Business first: Italy and arms sales
Article by Matilde Monteleone | Illustration by Niccolò Cedeno If during this period of global pandemic most of the productive activity in Italy has been blocked, if not slowed down, there is instead a sector of the economy that has never stopped growing: that of arms. The Decree of...
Three countries, one pandemic: different ways to communicate in a crisis
Article by Anna Groh | Illustration by Tommaso Bisagni “The coronavirus may currently be the world’s top threat, but a very close second is the political leader who doesn’t see it that way”. (Ward, 2020) When it comes to leadership in a crisis, the chosen way of communication can...
In sorrow, dignity: a personal account from the worst-affected city by COVID-19 in Italy
Article by Alessandro Zerbini | Illustration by Chiara Zilioli If Bergamo’s dead could speak, they probably wouldn’t. Mind you, their silence would not be a quiet protest against the ineptitude of the political class, or an equally legitimate demonstration of disappointment for the management of the crisis. It...
Pandemics and conspiracy theories: what can we learn?
Article by Laura Morazzini | Illustration by Francesco Moretti -”See here? It says it’s a virus created by China in a lab” – ”It’s rather Northern upheavals’ fault”. ‘’In times of social stress in general, and in the throes of a devastating epidemic in particular, conspiratorial explanations of events...
Two steps forward, one step back: stocktaking from the last Eurogroup meeting
Article by Alessandro Zerbini | Illustration by Silvia Baccanti “Too early to say”, Chinese Prime Minister Zhou Enlai is quoted saying in a conversation with US President Richard Nixon when asked about the impact of the French Revolution. One of history’s most appreciated misunderstandings –the Chinese politician was...