#SoseXpress – Press Review 24th/30th October

The situation we are experiencing shows us how great the value of research is, how important it is for our lives, for our and other countries’ future, for our civilization.

President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, used these words during the Days of Research at Quirinale.

The Debate of Ideas

 

If the public sector became an innovation hub: the OECD commitment.

The proposal to introduce performance indicators in public services aims at relaunching the Country’s development, promoting a virtuous circle of transparency and efficiency in the PA. The request is part of the OECD Declaration on Public Sector innovation aiming to legitimize innovation as a central and strategic function of public sector organizations to face the complex and recurring challenges and take advantage of them. The introduction of performance indicators in public services could activate a virtuous circle and promote aware citizenship.

 

Free nursery schools: an opportunity for families.

According to the 2019 Gender Budget Report recently presented to the Parliament, Italy allocates few resources to nursery schools. Italy has not closed the gap with other European countries despite the increasing resources allocated to childcare in the last years. Recent data concerning 2015 show that public expenditure for nursery schools amounts to 0,08% of GDP, one of the lowest values in Europe.

Studies, researches, and numbers

 

Istat industrial producer prices are rising.

In September 2020, industrial producer prices increased by 0.1% on a monthly basis and decreased by 3,1% on an annual basis. As in August, also in September 2020, industrial producer prices registered a moderate increase. Construction producer prices reported the same growth for buildings and roads with more positive and significant trends. Here the data.

 

ISTAT: the data on foreign trade with non-EU Countries.

Exports to non-EU countries are growing. According to Istat estimates, in September 2020, exports increased by 8,3% while imports registered a 2,7% decrease.

The increase in exports on a monthly basis regards all industrial sectors, and it is due to increasing sales of capital goods (+11,5%) and intermediate goods (+10,6%). Simultaneously, almost all trade sectors registered a reduction: durable consumer goods (-12,1%) and intermediate goods (-4,2%). 

 

Polimi-Nielsen research: in 2020, 46,5 million multichannel consumers.

According to a study realized by the Multichannel Observatory supported by the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano and Nielsen, the travel, electronic, and insurance sectors involve consumers with greater digital skills. In the last year, 30 million users have made at least an online purchase.

In 2020, Italian multichannel consumers were 46,5 million. The consumers who utilize e-commerce services and rely on digital skills for their purchases amount to 88% of the Italian population over 14 (52,7 million in total), increasing by 2,6 million compared to the previous year (+6%).

 

European new-born startups multiply…. but have a low likelihood of success!

Compared to American and Asian startups, the European have a lower likelihood of success. In Europe, the innovative companies on the market with a value of at least one billion dollars are still fewer in number due to something that holds them back.  The Report "Europe's startup ecosystem: Heating up, but still facing challenges" by McKinsey & Company analyses the situation. According to the study of ten-year dynamics in technological enterprises with high innovative potential, the United States dominate the startups' global market with 45% of the companies supported by venture capital. Europe follows them with 36%, Asia with 17%, and Latin America with 2%. 

 

ISTAT: preliminary estimate of GDP in the third quarter of 2020

According to ISTAT estimates, the chained volume measure of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased by 16.1 percent compared to the previous quarter. In contrast, it registered a year-over-year decrease of 4.7 percent. After the significant drop in the first half of the year due to the pandemic crisis, the Italian economy has registered a recovery in all economic sectors: agriculture, forestry, fishing, industry, and services. The variation recorded in 2020 amounts to -8,2%.

The voice of stakeholders

 

Confcommercio: a worrisome reduction in consumption in the fourth quarter of the year.

Confcommercio raises the alert about the loss in consumption and GDP amounting to 17,5 billion euro in the fourth quarter of 2020. Catering, tourism, transports, and personal care services raise the greatest concern. Compared to 2019, the loss should amount to 12,2%, equal to 133 billion euro.

 

The Bank of Italy: latest developments of Covid-19 pandemic in the world.

The Note "Latest developments of Covid-19 pandemic in the world" by the Bank of Italy's researchers is online.

Since last August, infections caused by SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19, increased in various European Countries. The pandemic has spread quickly in the latest weeks due to the temperature decrease and the reopening of schools, and the resumption of other working activities after the summer break. At the same time, the increase in infections began to moderate in Latin America and Asia. Still, some big countries, such as India and Brazil, remain in a difficult situation. 

 

The social value of consumptions: the Report by Censis-Confimprese.

The Confimprese-Censis Report describes a crucial truth for our times: living with the virus, the relaunch of consumptions is an absolute priority. The retail drives the economy and employment. For this reason today, to reduce consumptions means to weaken Italy and Italians’ resistance with severe risks for our life model. 

 

The analysis of industrial sectors in Prometeia Report.

Since the summer months, the Italian manufacturing industry has registered a widespread and robust recovery in most sectors, but this will not prevent a drop in turnovers of about 14,3%. In contrast to these estimates, the pharmaceutical industry has registered an increase of 3,9%. Food, beverage, consumer goods, appliances, and construction materials have recorded a drop. The mechanical industry, fashion, and automotive sectors are in difficulty.

Innovation

 

PA and social media, green lights for the work team on the national policy.

The Public Function, supported by Minister Dadone, created the Work Team on the National Social Media Policy, coordinated by Sergio Talamo, manager of the communication, publishing, transparency, and external relationship area of Formez PA. The work team, involving professionals and organizations operating in communication and public information, will elaborate a shared document for the public digital communication governance.

Local Authorities

 

ISTAT provided the data on regions’ and autonomous provinces’ balances.

Istat published the results of the data processed and collected through the survey on the balances of regions and autonomous provinces concerning 2017. Istat has utilized no particular statistical model for this survey, but local authorities' official accounting documents. The Data were processed based on each local authority and summarized by regional typology (with ordinary statute or special statute) and national level. 

 

ANCI: 740 billion allocated to municipalities due to Covid emergency.

ANCI published the data concerning the resources in 2020 allocated to face the COVID-19 epidemiological crisis and approved in the State-Cities Conference's meeting on 15th October, aiming to support the structural weakness of bodies affected by the financial crisis. These considerable resources result from agreements reached by ANCI and were allocated according to methodologies technically shared with Ifel.

The world of MEF

 

Covid-19 and European Union: the effects of the pandemic crisis on EU economic policies.

The thematic series dedicated to the Covid-19 pandemic impact on the European Union is online.  The report describes the crisis as a symmetrical shock on an unprecedented scale with different effects on the European countries. Europe is facing one of the most complicated health, economic-social situations in the post-war period. It is a challenge to face with flexibility and pragmatism. 

 

Credit and liquidity for families and enterprises: the data by MEF.

The applications for moratoriums on loans have exceeded 2,7 million for a value of about 301 billion euro. The applications for guarantees on new bank loans received by the Central Guarantee Fund for SMEs exceeded 96 billion euro.

These are the results of the weekly survey conducted by the task force established to promote the implementation of the measures adopted by the Government to support liquidity and to face the Covid-19 emergency. The Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Bank of Italy, the Associazione Bancaria Italiana, the Mediocredito Centrale, and Sace are in the task force.