SPOTLIGHT
-
Intergenerational equity and the redistribution of the effects of public policies among today's and tomorrow's citizens are hot topics globally. Many countries have introduced the obligation to assess the impact of new laws in order to distribute benefits and burdens proportionately, without burdening future generations with high-impact policies that can severely limit their choices. In 2025, Italy adopted the VIG, or generational impact assessment. How does it work?
-
According to the World e-Parliament Report 2024, more than two-thirds of 115 Chambers in 86 countries have already adopted multi-year digital strategies on AI. Also the Italian Senate has experimented extensively: it has already exploited AI to manage millions of amendments and report thousands of hours of sittings, developing IT applications that are now considered international best practices. How have they actually changed parliamentary work?
-
Between 2006 and 2022, 1,942 women were victims of femicide in Italy. That is one every three days. Crimes that often precede femicide, such as assault, injury, stalking, sexual violence and domestic violence, are also on the rise, but remain underreported. To combat this phenomenon, Italy has adopted various regulatory measures and created a territorial network to support victims. Now AI can identify areas at greatest risk of femicide, analyse the impact of opening a new anti-violence centre and offer evidence-based guidance to better direct public efforts. -
The school dropout rate has historically been one of the critical issues in the Italian education system. Today, the percentage of early school leavers has decreased, to just above the European average. However, social inequalities still weigh heavily: children of parents with low income and low level of education, particularly in the South and on the islands, are 15 times more likely to drop out of school than children of graduates (23.9% compared to 1.6%). WILL, an experimental asset building programme, managed to support parents and children. -
In 2023, there were 13,394 high-tech start-ups operating in Italy, with a production value of approximately €2.17 billion. The importance of this type of business goes far beyond the numbers: they are a major stimulus for innovation and productivity throughout the entire economic system. However, they struggle to obtain adequate financing, and in order to support their creation and development, the government has introduced many incentives and subsidies. With what results?
-
Fatalities at work, even in the most developed countries, are still very high. Between 2017 and 2023, Italy recorded 9,263 deaths, and in 2021 it was eighth among EU27 countries in terms of fatality rate: 2.7 victims per 100,000 workers (+50% compared to the European average). Governments have put in place numerous initiatives, but are public efforts to increase safety properly targeted at the highest risk areas? AI can make an important contribution. -
In 1996 the EU liberalised the telecommunications industry, including the fixed telephony market. Thanks to new operators, tariffs have fallen by an average of 20% (and 45% in Italy). But price competition seems to limit investment capacity, while the development of fixed and wireless networks requires ever more resources. Governments have launched public support schemes. And now the market demands less fragmentation from operators.
-
The lack of educational opportunities generates long-term inequalities in the lives of young people. How and where can we intervene to facilitate access to university for young men and women from low- and middle-income families? A new idea of intervention, based on encouraging family savings, has made its way in the United States. And so-called asset building is also proving effective in Italy.
-
In the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate, 203 women now sit, 33.6% of the members of Italian Parliament (a percentage higher than the average for EU27 parliaments). At the Presidency of the Council, after 64 governments led by men, for the first time Italy has a woman (only 4 other EU countries do not have a man at the head of the executive). Since 2023, the main opposition party has also been led by a woman. But the road to equality is still a long one. And it also passes, in 2024, through the renewal of the European Parliament.
-
The EU defines AI as "systems that display intelligent behaviour": they impact on all human activities and have technological, legal, economic and social implications. Many countries have begun to regulate them, but formulating comprehensive regulations appears to be a challenge. The European Commission, concerned that the use of AI may 'cause violations of fundamental rights', has regulated 'high risk' and 'unacceptable risk' sectors. And Italy?
-
The number of university graduates in advanced economies has risen from 27% in 2000 to 48% in 2021. But Italy, with 28%, is still far behind the OECD average and the other EU countries. Significant social inequalities also remain in terms of both access to and completion of tertiary education. Many regions provide scholarships for students from economically disadvantaged families. But how much, how, and to what extent do they work? The case of Scholarship 5B. -
Tax expenditures have steadily increased over the past six years. In 2022 there were 626 (+ 40%) with fiscal effects on the State budget of -82 billion euros (+ 72%). A further 114 local tax expenditures must be added to these,for a total of 740 benefits. These deviations from the "normal" tax regime increase the complexity of the system and reduce its transparency, in the face of significant revenue losses for public funds: 4% of GDP.
-
Violence against women is often invisible even in the eyes of justice workers: magistrates, lawyers, psychologists, counselors. How and where to intervene? In the 18th Legislature, the Senate Femicide Commission adopted a statistical approach to evaluate anti-violence policies with objective criteria. And it identified weaknesses in a protection system that still struggles to fully protect victims.
