The Institute implements and promotes research, training and awareness in order to publicize and foster the economic, social and political culture inspired by the work of Eugenio Colorni and Albert O. Hirschman, thereby deepening and disseminating their contributions to the development and emancipation of women and men through an international and multidisciplinary approach.
Building and animating, with a democratic federalist approach, an international network of people who are inspired by the thought of E. Colorni and A. O. Hirschman, and who adopt the analogous operational methods in order to achieve integration of knowledge, skills and experiences, fostering engagement, dialogue and cooperation among the various parts of the world. Interactions among the members of this network will comprise shared projects, meetings, cultural comparisons, and other relevant interventions geared towards the same end.
Supporting concrete applications of these concepts through the validation of various experiences (cultural, economic, political etc.) that have been inspired by these ideals, and the articulation of associated know-how that they have repeatedly exercised.
Building multi-level networks of private, public and public-private experiences that are inspired by the Colorni-Hirschman perspective, and integrating their processes based on the principles of democracy, development and social justice.
Organizing the intellectual output and applications inspired by Luca Meldolesi, and employing in every sphere a well-known Colornian stratagem: the method of affection through which an intelligent generosity will develop. In fact, this method teaches individual giving and collective receiving.
Safeguarding the existing trove of documents, disseminating the results of research and interventions within the scientific community, creating opportunities for training and constituting a point of reference for the international network.
Fostering creativity and originality in the theoretical and practical undertakings of the new generation through scholarships and mentorship, linking them with this perspective.
In the pursuit of these goals, the initiatives launched and promoted by the Institute are inspired by freedom, social justice, economic development, democracy and federalism, with a special focus on the ‘South’ of Italy.
In particular, the Institute promotes the following activities:
- Research in the social sciences, with special attention to Hirschman’s tradition of ‘trespassing’;
- Support and development of economic and cultural initiatives;
- Provision of scholarships and research awards;
- Training (managed both directly and indirectly);
Expert technical assistance on national and international scales in the following areas:
- Development, modernization and social justice;
- Entrepreneurship and business development;
- Democratic processes in civil society and in local and national administration;
- International cultural and economic networks, both public and private.
In the first year of its activity, AC-HII has concentrated its efforts on:
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Among the first experiences shared by many participants in the network of A Colorni-Hirschman International Institute were the activities surrounding the teaching of Economic Policy by Luca Meldolesi at the University of Naples in the ’80s and ’90s of last century. These activities were reported in a xeroxed publication called “Bollettino degli Improbabili” (The Improbables Newsletter).
The name “improbables” resonates with Hirschman’s possibilism: “He who looks for large-scale social change must be possessed, with Kierkegaard, by ‘the passion for what is possible’ rather than rely on what has been certified as probable by factor analysis” . While traditional thinking pushes for searching models and regularities, and making hypotheses about what is probable (which, however, is not certain, and could just be a repetition of something existing but not satisfying) whoever is looking for change must detect potentialities that exist even where not expected.
Hence, the “improbables” are those who, moving in the interval between the probable and the possible, offer an individual and collective contribution out of the box.
In subsequent years, with new experiences in public administration, firms, social cooperation, research and political activity many more “improbables” have gathered around that original group.
Ciro Accetta – Manager of Public Companies, Napoli
Alessandro Alaimo – Coordinatore Assistenza tecnica e gestionale del FSE nazionale, Roma
Paola Alfano – Entrepreneur, Napoli
Rosaria Amantea – Architect
Angela Arbitrio – Sector manager, Sviluppo Basilicata, Potenza
Aniello Ascolese – Private Teacher, Pagani (NA)
Valeria Aniello – Policy and programme evaluator, Presidency of the Italian Council of Ministers, Roma and Napoli
Maria Ariano – World Bank, Washington (USA)
Maria Rosaria Aurisicchio – Entrepreneur, Benevento
Liliana Bàculo – University professor, Napoli
Alessandro Balducci – University Professor, Milano.
Vito Belladonna – Training and evaluation consultant, Bari
Tito Bianchi – Policy and programme evaluator, Presidency of the Italian Council of Ministers, Roma
Francesca Brancaccio – Entrepreneur, Napoli
Rita Brighel – Entrepreneur, Napoli
Antonio Bruno – Entrepreneur, Grottaminarda (AV) and Piacenza
Rosaria Bruno – Doctor, Grottaminarda (AV)
Renato Bruno – Entrepreneur
Filippo Bucarelli – Entrepreneur, Roma
Elvira Celardi – Phd Scholar Sapienza University Roma, Roma
Daniela Caianiello – Public Finance general manager, Comune di Pozzuoli (NA)
Nicola Campoli – Public official, Unione Industriali, Napoli
Antimo Caputo – Entrepreneur, president Confidi, Napoli
Nicola Caputo – Entrepreneur and Regional Councilor Regiona Campania, Teverola (CE)
Paolo Caputo – Entrepreneur and business Consultant, Napoli
Danielle Carrabino – Curator of Museum, Northampton MA (USA)
Alberto Carzaniga – Manager and Undersecretary of State, Milano
Roberto Celentano – Researcher, Napoli
Serafino Celano – Economy Consultant, Avellino and Roma
Silvia Celli – Teacher
Marco Chiauzzi – Public Finance General Manager
Brunella Chiodo – Company manager, Lamezia Terme (CZ)
Giuliano Ciano – Social Entrepreneur, Napoli
Antonella Ciaramella – Member of Regional Council, Regione Campania
Francesco Cicione – Entrepreneur, Entopan, Catanzaro
Franco Saverio Cioffi – Temporary manager and business consultant, Bagnoli (NA)
Vittorio Coda – University Professor, Bocconi, Milano
Stefano Colombu – Software programmer, Singapore
Emanuela Costa – Medical Manager, Roma
Alberto Cozzo – Maritime Lawyer, Catania
Giusi Crimi – Manager, Entopan, Catanzaro
Alberto Criscuolo – World Bank, Washington (USA)
Martina D'Amico – Training Consultant, Catania.
Enzo de Bernardo – Director, Federsolidarietà. Roma
Giusi De Capua Cioffi – Consultant
Anna De Caro – European Commission Collaborator for Youth Programs, Cetraro (CS)
Giovanna del Gaudio – Researcher and Entrepreneur
Francesco Greco – Administrative and Accounting Expert, Catania
Mariabrigida Del Monaco – Sector Manager, Sviluppo Campania, Caserta
Ciro Esposito
Niccolò D'Aquino – Journalist, Roma and New York
Massimo d’Esposito – Entrepreneur, Napoli
Gennaro di Cello – Manager and social entrepreneur, Entopan, Catanzaro
Amedeo Di Marco – Industrial consultant, Cava dei Tirreni (SA)
Tommaso di Nardo – Research Department Manager of Ordine Commercialisti, Villaricca (NA) and Roma
Paolo Di Nola – Director Invitalia, Gragnano (NA) and Roma
Leonida Di Salvo – Lawyer, Giugliano in Campania (NA)
Paolo di Virgilio – Manager of Campania Region, Napoli
Viviana Fini – Psychologist, Roma and Massa C
Osvaldo Feinstein – University Professor, Madrid
Caterina Farao – Researcher, Giussago (PV)
Alessandro Farroni – Economic Consultant, Napoli
Tania Fedeli – Communication Consultant, Castellammare di Stabia (NA)
Alan Ferrari – Member of Italian Senate, Giussago (PV)
Rosalba Filosa – University professor, Napoli
Elena Girasella – Director Liaison office University, Messina
Massimiliano Grosso Sgarrillo – Cultural Heritage and Tourism Expert, Invitalia, Roma
Wendly Harcourt – University Professor, the Hague
Alessandro La Grassa – Third sector manager, CRESM, Partanna (TP)
Nicola Lamberti – Entrepreneur and mayor, Borgarello (PV)
Massimo Leone – Biologist, Roma
Robert Lepenies – Researcher, Berlino
Mario Lo Iacono – Student, Roma and Giarre (CT)
Veronica Lo Presti – University Researcher, Roma
Vincenzo Lorenzini – Consultant, Health sector, Montevarchi (AR)
Massimo Lucidi – Journalist, Napoli and Brescia
Christine Lutringer – Researcher and Executive Director, Geneva (Switzerland)
Irene Magistro – – Lawyer and Entrepreneur, Crotone
Paolo Manfredi – Innovation Consultant, Confartigianato, Roma.
Marco Marchese – OECD
Domenico Marino – University professor, Reggio Calabria
Vinni Marino – Director, Conf-cooperative, Roma
Onofrio Maragò – Mayor, Sant’Onofrio (VV)
Mita Marra – University professor, Napoli
Patrizia Massano – Consultant
Francesco Messina – Entrepreneur and business consultant, Catania
Mario Minoja – University Professor, Udine
Gianni Molinari – Journalist, Potenza and Napoli
Anna Morrone – School director Ministry of Education, Ravenna and Roma
Demetrio Naccari Carlizzi – Regional Councilor Calabria, Reggio Calabria
Peppe Pagano – Social Entrepreneur, Casal di Principe (NA)
Francesco Passanti – ICT consultant, Malta
Sebastiano Patti – University Professor, Catania
Simmaco Perillo – Social Entrepreneur, Maiano di Sessa Aurunca (CE)
Remigio Picone – Researcher, Cambridge MA (USA)
Nazzareno Prinzivalli – Planner, Catania.
Monica Romis – Business Consultant, Oxford (UK)
Francesca Rosato – Planner, Berlin
Daniele Rossi – Confindustria
Giovanna Sambataro – Tax Consultant, Catania
Elena Saraceno – Rural Development Expert, Buenos Aires and Milano
Claudio Sardoni – University professor, Roma
Andrea Scaleggi – Urban planning and policy design consultant, Genova and Milano
Adriano Scaletta – Public official, Anvur, Roma
Alberto Silvani – Researcher, CNR
Agata Siriannni – Business Consultant, Catania
Luca Soressi – Entrepreneur, Piacenza
Luisa D'Arrigo – Company Manager, Catania
Lyra Pinto – Software programmer, Singapore.
Nicoletta Stame – University Professor, Roma
Laura Tagle – Policy and programme evaluator, Presidency of the Italian Council of Ministers, Roma
Giaccio Trabalzini – Cultural Organizer
Raffaele Trapasso – OECD, Parigi
Anna Ubaldino - Senior Software Developer, Catanzaro
Agatina Verruso – Cultural Organizer, Montesarchio (BN).
Maria Viscuso – Business Consultant, Catania
Fabio Zilberstein – Functionary European Commission
Giacomo Zuppolini – Entrepreneur, Mugnano del Cardinale (AV)