Former Italian Minister of Education, University, and Research. Expert on geopolitics and economics
Africa
Europe
Italy
South Africa
Currently entrenched in academia, Lorenzo Fioramonti was the Italian Minister of Public Education. Leaving his position in 2019, he went on to become a political scientist and professor of political economy at the University of Pretoria and an Extraordinary Professor at the School of Public Leadership at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. He is also an associate fellow of the Centre for the Study of Governance and Innovation, a fellow of the Centre for Social Investment at the University of Heidelberg, as well as at the Hertie School of Governance and of the United Nations University.
A highly respected author whose books have received wide acclaim, Lorenzo Fioramonti has seen his articles appear in various media, including amongst many others, South Africa’s leading financial newspaper Business Day, Die Presse, the Mail & Guardian, The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and Der Freitag. His work has been endorsed by acclaimed authors like Raj Patel, Susan George, and Johan Galtung as well as leading economists that include the likes of Tim Jackson, Enrico Giovanni, and Robert Costanza.
The founder of the Action Research Network for a Wellbeing Economy in Africa and Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation, Lorenzo Fioramonti is also a member of the Alliance for sustainability and Prosperity. He is also the first and only Jean Monnet Chair in Africa. This prestigious recognition was awarded by the European Commission to distinguished academics. He holds the UNESCO-UN Chair in Regional Integration, Migration, and Free Movement of People.
Lorenzo Fioramonti received the UP Exceptional Young Researcher Award in 2012, and, two years later, became the first president of the European Union Studies Association of Sub-Saharan Africa.
A sought-after speaker on global politics and finances, Lorenzo Fioramonti is widely regarded as an expert in politics and the political economy. Spending most of his time in South Africa due to his academic commitments, he is fluent in both Italian and English.