Today we present you another extraordinary edition of the Action Special COVID-19 Series, where you can find a selection of articles and interviews from some of our Experts that focus on different aspects of the novel Coronavirus pandemic: Health, European Affairs, Finance and Innovation.

In addition to the articles and interviews included in the previous issue, in this edition you will read about digital contact tracing, the current and future state of Italian banks and the European Recovery Fund.

“La sanità è strategica: ripensiamo le logiche industriali per affrontare le crisi pandemiche” (Action Institute, Interview to Fabrizio Landi, Expert of Action Institute, May 15th, 2020). Action Institute interviews its expert to discuss the strategic role played by the health industry, deeply weakened in recent years. He also warns: the first country able to mass-produce the vaccine will be the winner of the war against the virus.

“Una difficile convivenza: visioni dal mondo medico sul nostro rapporto con il nuovo Coronavirus” (Action Institute, Interview to Andrea Silenzi, Expert of Action Institute, May 1st, 2020). In this interview, our expert briefs us on the latest developments and the major lessons learnt so far in the fight against the novel Coronavirus. Moreover, he provides his perspective on the difficult relationship between politics and science, suggesting what both sides could do to achieve a more profitable cooperation.

“Flessibilità e apertura mentale: cosa consiglia lo psicologo in tempi di quarantena” (Action Institute, Interview to Francesco Pagnini, Expert of Action Institute, April 2nd, 2020). Action Institute interviews its expert who has carried out a study with other colleagues in the Department of Psychology of the Catholic University of Milan on the psychological impact of the quarantine. The expert highlights how keeping an open and flexible mind is fundamental to limit the negative effects that a prolonged isolation can have on the mental health of people.

 “The EU response to the coronavirus crisis: how to get more bang for the buck” (Voxeu, Massimo Bordignon and Guido Tabellini, May 13th, 2020). In the column, the authors outline how the European Union could optimize its own economic response to the Coronavirus, while simultaneously paving the way for a future fiscal union.

 “The groundbreaking novelties of the Franco-German proposal and the misuse of the abacus” (Luiss School of European Political Economy, Marcello Messori, May 22nd, 2020). The paper presents the massive Franco-German proposal for the Recovery Fund, explaining its novelties and possible criticalities. The author points out the redistributive effect of this initiative and how it marks the starting point of a European centralization process of fiscal policies and risk-sharing mechanisms.

“Terapia intensiva: il conto alla rovescia per le imprese italiane è già iniziato” (Action Institute, Carlotta de Franceschi, Co-Founder and President of Action Institute, March 26th, 2020). In this article, the author walks the readers through the Action Institute policy proposal on how to bring €100bn of liquidity to companies at times of a deep liquidity crunch created by COVID-19.

“Preventing the death by suffocation of the enterprise system” (Action Institute, Stefano Visalli and Carlotta de Franceschi, March 25th, 2020). In this policy proposal, the authors explain in great detail Action’s proposal on how to provide emergency liquidity to business affected by the Coronavirus.

 “Are Italian banks part of the crisis or its solution this time?” (Luiss School of European Political Economy, Marcello Messori, May 18th, 2020). In this paper, the author reviews the pre-Covid weaknesses of the Italian banking system. Banks could indeed contribute to worsen the gloomy outlook of the country, instead of helping the economy to recover.