Designing an Economic Compass for Sustainable, Inclusive and Resilient Societies
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Designing an Economic Compass for Sustainable, Inclusive and Resilient Societies
Use the future to build the present
Designing an Economic Compass for Sustainable, Inclusive and Resilient Societies
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1.1Advanced AI1.2QuantumRevolution1.3UnconventionalComputing1.4AugmentedReality1.5CollectiveIntelligence2.1CognitiveEnhancement2.2HumanApplicationsof GeneticEngineering2.3HealthspanExtension2.4ConsciousnessAugmentation2.5Organoids2.6FutureTherapeutics3.1Decarbonisation3.2EarthSystemsModelling3.3FutureFoodSystems3.4SpaceResources3.5OceanStewardship3.6SolarRadiationModification3.7InfectiousDiseases4.1Science-basedDiplomacy4.2Advancesin ScienceDiplomacy4.3Foresight,Prediction,and FuturesLiteracy4.4Democracy-affirmingTechnologies5.1ComplexSystemsScience5.2Futureof Education5.3Future Economics,Trade andGlobalisation5.4The Scienceof theOrigins of Life5.5SyntheticBiology
1.1Advanced AI1.2QuantumRevolution1.3UnconventionalComputing1.4AugmentedReality1.5CollectiveIntelligence2.1CognitiveEnhancement2.2HumanApplicationsof GeneticEngineering2.3HealthspanExtension2.4ConsciousnessAugmentation2.5Organoids2.6FutureTherapeutics3.1Decarbonisation3.2EarthSystemsModelling3.3FutureFoodSystems3.4SpaceResources3.5OceanStewardship3.6SolarRadiationModification3.7InfectiousDiseases4.1Science-basedDiplomacy4.2Advancesin ScienceDiplomacy4.3Foresight,Prediction,and FuturesLiteracy4.4Democracy-affirmingTechnologies5.1ComplexSystemsScience5.2Futureof Education5.3Future Economics,Trade andGlobalisation5.4The Scienceof theOrigins of Life5.5SyntheticBiology

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Designing an Economic Compass for Sustainable, Inclusive and Resilient Societies

    Economic growth has significantly improved material well-being around the world, reduced poverty and closed the gap between rich and poor nations. At the same time, it has led to growing inequality within nations and over-exploitation of the Earth's resources.

    Global economies face several challenges in the future: first, a wave of technological developments fuelled by artificial intelligence (AI) will further test the limits of today's views about labour, capital and employment. Second, climate change creates an urgent necessity to use natural resources more carefully. Third, there are grounds for a move against globalisation and towards more localisation that could undo the benefits of international specialisation. These developments call for a new economic compass to help us chart a course through the policy challenges ahead. This will help anticipate winners and losers of economic shifts ahead of time, design welfare systems fit to purpose, better understand and counter environmental externalities associated with various economic choices and build more resilience into the global economy.

    • Which policy interventions have the best chance to guarantee human employment in meaningful jobs and avoid growing inequalities when intelligent machines become more widespread in the future?
    • How can we move rapidly towards a regenerative circular economy that limits the impact of our economic actions on the planet while assuring the well-being of all?
    • Can we make globalisation more resilient and sustainable without losing the benefits of international specialisation?

    Takeaway messages

    Our economies are facing big challenges, but the policy solutions are on the table and have to be implemented.
    Climate policies that take into account historical contributions to rising emissions are likely to gain wider acceptance by the public.
    Globalisation is expected to accelerate but can be managed through more international cooperation.
    Automation can be managed without losing potential gains through labour and education policies, such as investing in skills, and good jobs, and by redistributing the gains of automation.
    More research is needed in economics to tackle environmental questions and the circular economy.