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Ferrera, Maurizio
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5 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
EU women's quota good for companies
EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding is considering introducing legally binding women's quotas for companies after the deadline she had set for companies to commit themselves to a quota expired without notable results. The percentage of women in top jobs barely rose in the past year, with only 13 percent of the members of management and supervisory boards at European companies being female. For Italy a female quota is nothing more than a dream, complains the liberal-conservative daily Corriere della Sera: "The main problem is that the female quota is still not an integral part of our social and economic policy. It is regarded as an accessory that can be dealt with later or on the side. This approach stands in contrast not only to the public debate in Italy, but also to EU guidelines. Since the signing of the Lisbon treaty Brussels has said repeatedly that employing more women can boost economic growth, above all in lagging countries like Italy."
» more information (external link, Italian)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Gender equality, » Italy, » Europe
Italians who live with parents need a springboard
According to the Italian statistics office Istat, in 2009 7.8 percent of all Italians were unemployed. But at 25.4 percent youth unemployment was well above the European average of 19.8 percent. The austerity package adopted by the government on Tuesday will only aggravate the problem of young people who keep living with their parents, writes the liberal-conservative daily Corriere della Sera: "A rescue ring or an inhibition threshold? For young people in Italy the parental home fulfils both roles at the same time. In other countries the state helps out with grants, rent subsidies and loan guarantees. So young adults don't jump into the void when they leave their parents' home because they have a safety net that allows them to use their own flexibility. ... To enable young people to fly the nest and encourage them to embark on their own path in society our social system needs to support them with courage and optimism. ... Europe also fully understands this."
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More from the press review on the subject » Italy
British election campaign a shining example for Italy
Three parties with concrete political ideas and clear agendas face each other in the British election campaign, the liberal-conservative daily Corriere della Sera writes, and says Italy can learn from this example: "From the Italian point of view the British election manifestos teach us two important lessons. Firstly, they are clearly formulated and make concrete proposals. Our reform-oriented politicians should follow this example. The election manifestos are not cobbled together in the last minute but are the product of meticulous work with an eye to long-term goals that will allow the winner to get to work immediately. Lesson number two: The manifestos name the necessary sacrifices, as well as the advantages. In a mature and functioning democracy politicians don't promise people the moon but stick firmly to the facts."
» more information (external link, Italian)
More from the press review on the subject » Elections, » United Kingdom, » Italy
The 27 signed the Treaty of Lisbon
Maurizio Ferrera considers that in signing the Lisbon Treaty, "European leaders will adopt a watered-down and reduced version of the European Constitution blocked by France and the Netherlands in 2005. The fruit of patient diplomatic work, the Treaty contains different innovations that will make the EU function more smoothly... . The signatures in Lisbon are only the first step towards the process of ratification of the new Treaty. But this time the governments look to avoid at all costs popular referendums... . Better to avoid the referendums and advance Europe via agreements between the elites, negotiated by governments and ratified by parliaments... . The internal political arenas risk becoming a platform for a neo-populist movement, from the left and the right, against the governments ... , against the technocrats in Brussels, or worse, against politicians pure and simple."
» to the homepage (external link, Corriere della Sera)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Constitution, » Europe
A Blairite under Swedish orders
Maurizio Ferrera, professor of social and political sciences in the universities of Pavie and Milan, examines the elections in Sweden and the victory of the centre-right lead by Frederik Reinfeldt. "His name is Reinfeldt and he resembles Blair... . The program of the victorious coalition contained none of the propositions that the right normally holds dear: from the suppression of certain taxes to the privatisation of certain public sectors. The leader of the 'Moderates' has remained clear and wants to promote a more flexible Sweden without attacking the base of the social welfare. We do not know if Reinfeldt's therapy will succeed in curing the illness ailing the Swedish model [notably unemployment among the young]. The Prime Minister presents himself as a new moderate, not far off from the New Labour line. He has in fact, in his post-electoral speech, certain points developed by Blair following his own victory in 1997".
» full article (external link, Italian)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Sweden
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