IV Report on the Generation Gap by the Bruno Visentini Foundation and Luiss

It's no longer time to analyze the effects of the generational gap that disadvantages young people (high NEET rates, youth poverty, and early school leaving); it's time to permanently eliminate the causes that have created it over the past two decades.

According to the report edited by Professors Luciano Monti and Fabio Marchetti, a paradigm shift and a structural rethinking of public policies—whether specifically focused on the generations or aimed at addressing the gap—require a long-term commitment. The goal is not merely to mitigate the aforementioned effects, but to remove the rigidities of the labor market, the weak connection between the labor market and education, and the barriers to entrepreneurship. Additionally, the aim is to foster innovation and the development of new skills.

Unprecedented levels of generational inequality; an analysis of strategies to structurally address its causes; and the government’s shift in approach to youth policies in the second half of 2021: these are the main themes that emerged from the “Fourth Report on the Generational Gap” by the Bruno Visentini Foundation, published by Luiss University Press under the title: “The Generational Gap through the Pandemic, Recovery, and Resilience.”

The Report was presented today, Thursday, March 10, on the Luiss Guido Carli Campus in Viale Pola. After introductory greetings from Rector Andrea Prencipe and Fondazione Bruno Visentini President Alessandro Laterza, who sponsored the survey, the report’s authors and Luiss professors Luciano Monti and Fabio Marchetti spoke. The floor was then given to government representatives, starting with video messages from the Minister of Labor and Social Policies, Andrea Orlando, and the Minister for the South and Territorial Cohesion, Mara Carfagna, and concluding with a speech by the Head of Department at the Ministry for Youth Policies, Marco De Giorgi. Representing the social partners, the following speakers took the floor: Pierpaolo Bombardieri, Secretary General of UIL; Giuseppe Massafra, Confederal Secretary of CGIL; Daniela Fumarola, Confederal Secretary of CISL; and Pierangelo Albini, Director of the Labor, Welfare, and Human Capital Division at Confindustria.

The Report features the new “ Generational Divide Index  3.0” (GDI), which is the result  of continuous updates and refinements to the tool for detecting and measuring the divide by the Observatory on Youth Policies (www.osservatoriopolitichegiovanili.it). It shows levels of generational inequality never seen before . 

The measurement for 2020—with 2006 as the   baseline—actually shows 142 points, well above the peak recorded in 2014 (138 points), and an increase over the previous year (+12 points). This data confirms that systemic crises affecting our country—like the pandemic—always have an asymmetrical generational impact, with younger age groups bearing the brunt. In this regard, the decision not to include a specific mission for young people in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan initially seemed like a missed opportunity , given that the resources allocated to future generations represent a negligible percentage. According to the Bruno Visentini Foundation’s analysis, the estimated generational measures amount to 3.97 billion euros for the 2021–2026 period, which is 2.08% of the total resources of the Recovery and Resilience Facility. On the other hand, initiatives with a potentially generational focus account for 2.9% of the resources allocated by the Plan, bringing the overall share of initiatives for young people in the PNRR to about 5%. Even in the 2021 Budget Law, which continued the trend of previous governments, the measures affecting young people—according to the Report—were disjointed and, overall, not commensurate with the scale of the challenge, the persistence of a significant NEET population , and the flight of human capital.  

<p class="paragraph"> However, the study highlights that in the second half of 2021, the Draghi government made a decisive shift toward defining a unified strategy to revitalize the next generations. The Visentini Foundation has long proposed that every new measure undergo an assessment of its potential generational impact. In response, the  Minister for Youth Policies, Fabiana Dadone, established the  Committee for the Assessment of the Generational Impact of Public Policies (COVIGE). This body 's activities also encompass reforms, projects outlined in the PNRR, and measures within the complementary National Investment Plan that directly or potentially impact young people.  

The roundtable for defining the Youth Employment Pact, spearheaded by Minister Andrea Orlando, is another key measure in shaping a unified strategy to support young people entering the workforce. It represents the long-awaited opportunity to address, for the first time, the issue of youth unemployment in Italy in an integrated manner and with a long-term vision , considering its social impacts, gender disparities, and regional distribution. According to the Report, this forum will enable the formulation of policy proposals to be adopted in the short, medium, and long term to achieve the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda, particularly  Goal 8 “Decent Work and Economic Growth,” as well as Targets 8.6 and 8.b. 

Finally, the opportunities within the PNRR reserved for Southern Italy and the Partnership Agreement that Minister  Mara Carfagna is negotiating with Brussels could form the basis for an initial integrated youth policy. This policy would systematize all the substantial and extraordinary resources made available by the European Union and the government, while also addressing the significant “generational spread” in Southern Italy,as previously highlighted in the 2019 Report.