"Magnifiche sorti e progressive"
.jpg) The article in the Christmas edition of the Economist discusses a philosophical issue essential to whoever tries to make sense of the times we live in. What do we mean by progress? Do we still care about it? Does it still exist? Was it worthwhile to dedicate lives, years of studies, for something that is perceived to be in trade off with other not less popular values like family, tradition and cohesion? Certainly, progress as a value is not living its best days and appears to be trapped in the wrong side of an ever - lasting war [...]
The Politics and Economics oh Happiness: a new approach to existing problems
What should societies – and policy makers – look for? Is “progress” still a valid notion towards which science and economy should be oriented? Can happiness be an effective alternative to GDP when it comes to measuring quantity of well being and the fairness of its distribution? These are some of the basic questions at the basis of Vision's new project.
Next events
Vision will take part to the English follow up of "The B Factor" on February the 12th in Birmingham. The event is organized by Open University and in collaboration with OpenDemocracy.
We Want You!
 Would you like to be part of Vision’s network? Please send an email to: info@vision-forum.org
Next Issue
Within the next issue of Vision’s web magazine we will try to connect two (apparently) separate issues. Actually, the Italian problem of the “South” and the question about the future of Africa seem to be much closer then we think. Afterwards, we will focus on communication technologies, and the way social networks in particular are changing the relationship among people and the concept of “Democracy” itself. You can write to info@vision-forum.org should you like to write an article or know more.
Intelligent Cities in the Post Copenhagen Era
 After the launching, “framework” conference held in Naples last April, the project “Kyoto of the Cities” continues its activities. Following next is the conference focusing on the first of the three areas of intervention that Vision identified in order to tackle the problem of Climate Change: “Intelligent Cities” and the issue of Public Participation as a solution to the urban congestion. [...]
University performance in the 21st century
 Next event on University is planned to be held in September 2010, in Turin. Last April conference produced very good results both in terms of media coverage (here you can see Vision’s press coverage ) and products (you can download the paper here). You can send an email to university@vision-forum.org, should you like to take part to the project.
Vision in Facebook
 Now you can join the Vision Group on facebook and be constantly updated in real time on all projects and initiatives underway. The facebook group is "Vision - The Italian Think Tank".
If you want to join Vision’s projects or be author of Vision web magazine write to: info@vision-forum.org.
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Panta Rei?
 This issue of Vision’s newsletter brings you inside the flow of Change.
Heraclitus affirmed that only transformation of things is real, while their still identity is illusory.
Within this issue we want to ask some basic questions about a concept whose value we seem to take for granted today: it is the concept of progress.
Is progress a natural and unavoidable process or is it something we can induce? Is it intrinsic to our nature as human beings or is it linked to cultural and circumstantial factors? Is it only something positive or is there also progress with negative value? How do social progress and individual satisfaction correlate?
The last question in particular creates the issue of happiness, which is studied by many experts (economists in particular) as a possible indicator in order to quantify how successful is a society in achieving its goals.
While delving into the question of happiness (starting with the contribution received from Lord Professor Layard) we try to go beyond the problem of measurement, and enlarge the issue: which are the goals of societies? Who is defining these goals? What action can we take to pursue them? These questions are the basis of Vision’s new project.
Furthermore, we have tried to imagine some specific changes as already happened in our society: some of the articles you are going to read pretend to be written in the future – at the end of year 2010 – and speak of positive changes which occurred during this year (2010) on the world stage.
You can write to info@vision-forum.org sending an article or simply your opinions, should you like to contribute to the topics under discussion.
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Why subjective well-being should be the measure of progress
by Lord Richard Layard
 Three points are crucial, and I would urge member states to consider them seriously.
1. We should measure progress in a way that can guide policy.
2. The right single measure of progress must be the one that is self-evidently good.
3. For practical purposes the most practicable measure of happiness is life-satisfaction [...]
Global Project on "Measuring and Fostering the Progress of Societies"
by Adolfo Morrone and Raul Suarez de Miguel - OECD
 The Global Project on Measuring and Fostering the Progress of Societies is a partnership-based initiative hosted by the OECD that was officially launched in July 2008 [...]
India at the Lido: Progress and Promise in Italian-Indian Bilateral Trade
by Greg Caramenico
 Despite proclamations of economic recovery echoing from the Obama administration and sundry academic and media "experts," the global economy limped, rather than leaped, out of its quagmire in 2010. Prematurely constrained monetary policy and sporadic bursts in spending accompanied substantial but insufficient rises in employment. In the developed world, this meant slow and painful recovery, modest gains [...]
Future: Hopes and Promises
by Asif Parvez
 The start of 2010 marked with a massive earthquake that hit Haiti. It says a lot about the world we live in that only the ‘financial slow-down' is seen as an ‘economic crisis' when climate change and even minor political developments like the ban against minarets, instability in Congo and Nigeria and sea piracy in Somalia etc are rooted in aspects of haywire, unfair or unsustainable global economic regimes going back at least three centuries [...]
The Italian Multimedial Public Service. The value of new Rai
by Valeria Sirabella
.jpg) The reform of Rai’s production structure, coming to light in 2010, brought attention towards the spectacularity of old Rai’s fall. Contents will be the core of the new Multimedial Public Service: the new structure is built around the "thematic departments", labs specialized in politics, economics and other issues involving experts, researchers and journalists (article in Italian) [...]
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Social Indicators vs. Happiness
by Marco Grasso
 Concern with the quality of life and the measurement of happiness developed in the late sixties as a response to the no longer satisfying pursuit of material well-being and economic growth dictated by the dominant prescriptions of neoclassical economics[...]
Looking for Sustainable Happiness
by Francesca Paci
 Am I happy? When my father asked me on Skype - clumsy and sweet attempt to make sure I feel better after long heart-affair-hurt - I just wanted to reassure him: I'm well, sure I'm happy. But then I stopped, and took a breath before speaking [...] (article in Italian)
Washington’s main foreign policy challenges in 2010
by Teodor Stan
 The major foreign policy dilemmas facing Washington in 2010 are in dealing with the fragile recovery of the global economy, the relations with the rising international influence of China, the shaping of climate change and energy policies, the redefining of the global nuclear order, the prospects for engagement with Iran and the impact of the military surge in Afghanistan. Out of these issues the US relations with China should take central stage, with implications on almost all of the above [...]
СРБИЈА 2010 (Serbia 2010)
by Milica Cirovic
In 2010, we presented the Kosovo case at the International Court of Justice where the rising forces such as China and Russia had their say. In some months we are going to receive the results of a trial. There are predictions that even if we win it, it is hard to have it back fully. But surely it can be a starting point of changes and making peace between Kosovo Albanians and Serbian people [...]
Free Tibet
by Maria Rotolo
.jpg) Among the most important events of 2010 we want to focus on what happened in Tibet last October. During the last few weeks people all around the world have been celebrating the liberation of Tibet from the terrible Chinese repression lasting since 1959. We watch on television the happiness of children monks which together with the lamas are taken back into the monasteries from which they had been chased away years before, and it makes all of us joyful, Buddhist or not (article in Italian) [...]
From Stiglitz to Glamour: the happiness formula
by Ylenia Berardi
 Some weeks ago we could hear again about GNH, Gross National Happiness. For a long time, experts from all over the world have been studying how to build up indicators in order to quantify citizens' well being: a measure which is less arid then GDP, and able to consider happiness, sustainability, solidarity (article in Italian) [...]
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Technology and society | Society and globalization | Globalization and democracy | The future of Vision |
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