Without immigrants, the economy of modern societies would no longer be able to function: a phenomenon that increasingly concerns our country as a destination and origin of migratory flows. The analysis of the resulting socio-economic aspects was the focus of the conference Immigration and emigration: the economy of a multifaceted phenomenon, organized by UBI Banca, the Nicola Trussardi Foundation and the Milan Triennale.
Giorgio Gori, Mayor of Bergamo and promoter with Emma Bonino and Enzo Bianco of a reform project of the Bossi-Fini Law, Tommaso Frattini, Professor of Political Economy at the State University of Milan, Paolo Magri, Director of the Institute discussed it for International Political Studies, Mario Molteni, Professor of Business Economics at the Catholic University of Milan and CEO of the E4Impact Foundation. The moderator of the meeting was Federico Fubini, Deputy Director of Corriere della Sera.
“Very often, when it comes to immigration, individual opinions are based more on perceptions and anecdotal evidence than on actual data. For example, in all countries the natives tend to overestimate the presence of immigrants in the population,” said Tommaso Frattini, a professor at the State University of Milan. "To get out of a management of the migratory phenomenon based on emergencies and emotions, it is instead appropriate to think of migratory policies that recognize the undoubted economic benefits of immigration and equip themselves to maximize and share them".
It should in fact be considered that the phenomenon affects millions of people on the move in search of work, more opportunities and better living conditions. Paolo Magri, Director of the Institute for International Political Studies, commented: "Those who delude themselves, denying Italy's prospective need for migrants, that the so-called emergency must and can be stopped, underestimate the underlying structural factors of the phenomenon. Without adequate national reception and integration policies and European control and redistribution policies, we risk making the situation unmanageable”.
However, it is not just a question of managing migratory flows or guaranteeing reception, it is necessary to contribute to projects of effective intervention in the territories of greatest origin of immigrants. Mario Molteni, Professor at the Cattolca University of Milan and CEO of the E4Impact Foundation, explained: “Hundreds of thousands of arrivals in Europe, but every year as many as 29 million young Africans enter the job market. Hence the need for a commitment to the development of entrepreneurship in Africa, which can also represent a great opportunity for Italian companies. This dual dimension is at the heart of the E4Impact Foundation's mission”.
In summary, three key elements emerged from the debate in support of the socio-economic value of the phenomenon:
- Immigration, if well managed, guarantees economic benefits for society;
- Italy, like other countries, has a prospective need for migrants;
- It is necessary to guarantee not only hospitality but also planning in the territories of greater origin.
The event is part of the exhibition La Terra Inquieta – curated by Massimiliano Gioni and part of the program of the Visual Arts Sector of the Triennale directed by Edoardo Bonaspetti – open until 20 August 2017, the result of the collaboration between the Triennale di Milano Foundation and the Nicola Foundation Trussardi who have always placed the present in all its meanings at the center of their mission, bringing attention to the most experimental and innovative languages of contemporary art and culture, with the ability to give voice to phenomena leading to profound changes
