The World: Set Ways; Vive La Dolce Vita

With the accelerating convergence of ideas and commodities, the world has more jobs available. Yet, many Europeans prefer job security to risky endeavors and resist the process of globalization. Pundits expected recent elections to decide the direction for Europe, but voters are polarized. Close results in the Italian election could undermine the credibility of Italy’s next political leadership, since Prodi defeated Berlusconi only by a narrow margin. Consequently, without promise of strong leadership in the near future, the Italian population shrinks from the frontiers of globalization and leans toward social immobility. Similarly, the French reject the notion of modern entrepreneurship due to the incumbent risks. Any hope of deriving economic stability by rejecting globalization has inherent flaws. Obstinacy only leads to short-lived protection or certainty – followed by slow economic decline and the loss of jobs that might have emerged with economic reform. – YaleGlobal