competitiveness

Italy was once vibrant, now it is populated by zombies

 
Journalist and businessman Francesco Grillo talks about Italy in the 1990s and how it lost its global position in the world.

Storyteller: Francesco Grillo

Date of Story: 1990s-present
Location of Story: Bolzano, Italy
Location: Rome, Italy
Date: 15 April, 2016

This post is part of a collaboration with author Davide Rubini to collect the stories of Italy in the aftermath of the “Bribesville” (Tangentopoli) scandals of the 1990s. Find out more about Rubini’s new novel,  il fischio finale (The Final Blow).  

In a wider world Italy got totally lost

 
Journalist and businessman Francesco Grillo explains how Italy wasn’t economically and socially prepared for the globalized world, that emerged in the 1990s, and that it missed a key opportunity to reform it’s political class.

Storyteller: Francesco Grillo

Date of Story: 1990s
Location of Story: Rome, Italy
Location: Rome, Italy
Date: 15 April, 2016

This post is part of a collaboration with author Davide Rubini to collect the stories of Italy in the aftermath of the “Bribesville” (Tangentopoli) scandals of the 1990s. Find out more about Rubini’s new novel,  il fischio finale (The Final Blow).  

Film from an injured photographer

 
Lisa Clark remembers the complicated process of retrieving film from photographers in the field, and looks back on 1989 as an exciting year for photographers at the Independent. She also mentions that journalist Robert Fisk had a talent for photography.

Storyteller: Lisa Clark

Date of Story: 1989-1990
Location of Story: RAF Brize Norton, UK
Location: London, UK
Date: 26 April, 2016

Berlusconi joked while Agnelli spoke English with Kissinger

 
International organization director Massimo Vettori explains the difference between two great Italian industrialists of the 1990s: Agnelli and Berlusconi.

Storyteller: Massimo Vettori

Date of Story: 26 January, 1994
Location of Story: Naples, Italy
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Date: 26 February, 2016

This post is part of a collaboration with author Davide Rubini to collect the stories of Italy in the aftermath of the “Bribesville” (Tangentopoli) scandals of the 1990s. Find out more about Rubini’s new novel,  il fischio finale (The Final Blow).  

We had a think tank in the men’s bathroom

 
Economist Vincenzo Zappino remembers discussing economic and political issues with a group of friends of all backgrounds in the men’s bathroom while studying economics at the University of Bologna. This “think tank” took refuge there because it was prohibited to talk elsewhere, and the group–composed of both men and women of all political stripes–would sometimes spend hours there each day. He also mentions the depreciation of the Italian lira during the European Currency Crisis and the failure to prepare the Italian “industrial district” model for China’s entry into the World Trade Organization, in part because the country was too distracted by its political scandals.

Storyteller: Vincenzo Zappino

Date of Story: 1993-1994
Location of Story: Bologna, Italy
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Date: 26 February, 2016

This post is part of a collaboration with author Davide Rubini to collect the stories of Italy in the aftermath of the “Bribesville” (Tangentopoli) scandals of the 1990s. Find out more about Rubini’s new novel,  il fischio finale (The Final Blow).