Are we headed towards a regionalized globalization? A conversation with Federico Fubini, Bill Emmott and Diego Piacentini

Over the past year, global commercial disputes and the outbreak of Covid-19 put our entangled socio-economic systems in crisis. As we wonder whether this crisis is a consequence of such an integrated global system or a consequence of how governments and business players have managed and taken advantage of such integration, we have asked Federico Fubini, deputy editor in chief of Corriere della Sera to moderate a conversation with Diego Piacentini and Bill Emmott, to share their ideas and insights. In the conversation, we will ponder on the development of globalization, addressing the future of global value chains and the role Italy can play in this new scenario. Diego Piacentini, who led the internationalization of tech leaders like Apple and Amazon and who recently served in the Italian Government as Commissioner for the Digital Agenda, will be asked to address this dynamic from a business and technological point of view. What evolution does he think global companies are now required to pursue? Is organizational resilience related to a business size or to a business approach? Bill Emmott, who served The Economist as Editor in Chief from 1993 to 2006 and who is now an independent writer and consultant for international affairs, will be asked to address what regionalized globalization could mean, and which are the main geopolitical trends we should follow today. Is it possible to redesign global value chains without ceding to autarchic policies? How can the value of proximity in decision making and production process be combined with the future of international cooperation? As we’re headed to a deeper digitalization of the supply chains, will knowledge take the place of goods at the center of global trade?