Francesco Grillo is president and co-founder of Vision, where he has managed a number of projects on information society and international governance. Previously at McKinsey, he is now managing director of V&V, a management consultancy firm, and is completing his Phd thesis at the London School of Economics.

Recent articles

The London bombings are the latest assault on a prominent global symbol, intended to emphasise the “empire’s” vulnerability. In response, the world needs a new way of thinking that combines technology and democracy, says Francesco Grillo.

The period of crisis in international institutions and political order inaugurated on 11 September 2001 has left intact public trust in the United Nations itself. The organisation should seize the moment for a bold, imaginative reform of its institutional architecture – one that will help establish a global public contract able to address the problems of democracy, peace, sustainability and the network society that will define the new century.

The unknown enemy has turned the connective tissue of modern life into a weapon of destruction. The attacks on the “centre of the world” reveal the dark side of the network society. The lesson is to globalise further: intelligence and police work, risk assessment, and ultimately governance itself.

Think tanks can survive the pressures of competition, and maximise their resources of independence and flexibility, argues the director of the Italian organisation Vision. But they must adapt to a change of scale, and start thinking globally – without maps.