Elena Bascone

Political Economist, Author, Conceptual Artist & International Consultant

Elena Bascone is a political economist, author, conceptual artist, and international consultant specializing in Tech Policy, international sanctions, and the European Union's digital transition.

Graduating with honors from the University of Padova, she earned her Master of International Affairs at the Hertie School in Berlin, where at just 24 years old she developed a predictive model on Russian sanctions under the guidance of Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger (former Chairman of the Munich Security Conference).

As a former Charlemagne Prize Fellow, she conducted advanced research on European industrial competitiveness in the aerospace and aviation sectors, developing the Karlspreis Collaboration Function, which was validated by leading mathematicians to maximize public-private cooperation. Driven by a strong personal interest in front-end programming, she translated her technical skills into the direct development of two personal blogs, founded at the ages of 22 and 26.

She operates as an independent professional through her practice, Bascone Tech Policy Consulting, advising pioneering AI platforms in the art sector and guiding high-growth Italian companies through strategic and technological scale-ups toward the United States market.

She is the creator of AURA AI, an initial AI tool integrating game theory functions with the MBTI personality model, which laid the groundwork for her current venture: the architecture and development of her own broader, more comprehensive AI project. As the author of the Oscar Mondadori bestseller “Italian Dream. L’arte di guardare al futuro”, Elena seamlessly bridges analytical expertise with aesthetic research, having personally produced the high-tech conceptual artwork featured on the book’s cover.

👉🏻 You can find details on the book below and more in the interactive "ITALIA XXV" section, while clicking on "Bascone Consulting" you can find more about her work on tech policy. Below, there are the links to the blogs (Res Publica / The future blog) and "5x5", which is a collection of the most memorable months during the 5 last months of Karlspreis fellowship. Some pictures with friends and mentors are also available, as well as Elena's first coding project (at the bottom of the page).

Italia XXV 🌿

📸 Pictures by Roberta de Min with my research on EU tech competitiveness

(titled "The home of collaboration", Karlspreis, 2024), thesis on sanctions

(Hertie School, 2020) and thesis on US-Russia relations during JFK's presidency

(Padova, 2017)

Bascone Consulting

Looking back: Res Publica

At 22 I started my first blog, "Res Publica: Italian politics explained" at the Hertie School as part of the "Party Politics" course held by Prof. Hannah Schwander.

Started in 2018 as a student project at the Hertie School, Res Publica has since been carried out in good faith, with every effort to remain compliant. All views expressed are solely personal.

5x5

Looking forward: The Future Blog

At 25, after learning the basics of front-end-development and UI/UX design I created my online website and a second blog, named "The Future Blog" as it deals with policy issues in an innovative, often metaphorical way, presenting topics that I believe will be relevant in the near future. My ambition is to keep mixing my political economy expertise with my passion for tech, meaning coding and XR, and Italian art and history.

Like a personal diary, The Future Blog reflects my thoughts at a given moment. Any resemblance to real people or events is coincidental. Readers are encouraged to double-check information, as imperfections and possible errors are deliberately left to preserve the authenticity of my reflections. I want the blog to be a safe space, like a bedroom: sometimes might be messy, because life is not perfect for anyone, but it's mine.

Res Publica 🇮🇹

The Future Blog 💓

Instants in the past
&
People I hope to meet again in the future

How top-level diplomats and executives see me

🤝 Diplomatic

I look forward to accompanying Elena in her career journey. I appreciate Elena’s ability to find support for her ideas and to include different stakeholders in finding a solution.

Elena deserves recognition and appreciation for her academic work. She will, in my view, be able to contribute significantly to any future mission - whether in a government, business, or academic environment. - Wolfgang Ischinger, Hertie School & Munich Security Conference Foundation (who mentored me during my research on sanctions in 2020 and for my Karlspreis research in 2023/2024)

🚀 Innovative

I look forward with great interest to following Elena’s future endeavors, especially her ongoing efforts to promote youth inclusion in innovation processes across Europe. I am confident that her skills, intellect, and passion will lead to meaningful contributions in any academic or professional setting she chooses to pursue. - Luca del Monte, European Space Agency (who contributed to my Karlspreis research in 2024)

Google Scholar