Editor’s Note: The creative imperative
Global Agenda brings you the world’s experts.
India and China
India has leapt in the Global Competitiveness Report rankings. Nandan Nilekani and Manmohan Singh trumpet India’s progress. Supachai Panitchpakdi says China’s advance should be welcomed, not feared. Orit Gadiesh says Chinese companies are taking on the world. David Arkless examines their growing pains.
The changing economic landscape
Joseph Stiglitz excoriates America’s “consumption binge” and Mark Warner its complacency about innovation. Edwin Truman counsels Ben Bernanke that the Fed is the world’s central bank. Pam Woodall says a housing bust looms. Kristin Forbes warns of emerging markets storms. Andrés López Obrador says Mexico’s wealth must be shared fairly. Heizo Takenaka insists that Japan must shrink the state.
Greg Stock outlines the future of conception. George Annas frets about bio-regulation; George Epstein, bioterror; Mohamed ElBaradei, nuclear proliferation, and Nick Bostrom, extinction.
New mindsets and changing attitudes
Stelios Haji-Ioannou believes that internet retailing is just taking off. But the internet fragments advertising, says Martin Sorrell. Willie Walsh laments overregulation of airlines.
Ana Botín says technology is revolutionizing retail banking; Visa’s Christopher Rodrigues says it should shrink fraud. Ubiquitous computing will dramatically improve our lives, says Jong-Yong Yun. But Eli Noam warns that home networks could devastate consumer electronics firms. And Ed Mayo says technology is being used to enforce intellectual property wrongs. Nick Negroponte hopes his $100 laptop will transform education.
David Rubenstein is bullish on private equity. Brett Arends thinks Corporate America is due an uptick.
Michael Zey says increased longevity will upend living patterns. We are still evolving, says Bruce Lahn. Roy Gibson passes on Ovid’s seduction tips. Carlo Petrini is in love with food.
Europe’s direction
Vladimir Putin puts Russia at the heart of Europe. Peter Sutherland vies with Daniel Hannan over the EU’s future. Angela Merkel, Mary Harney, Andrus Ansip and Maurice Lévy agree that economic reform is essential. Steve Forbes extols flat taxes. Peter Mandelson says developing countries must liberalize trade in line with the West. Tayyip Erdogan says Turkish EU membership would link East and West.
Jobs of the future
Sylvia Hewlett urges companies to accommodate women’s non-linear career paths. Frances Cairncross says universities are the recruiting sergeants of the new economy. Adair Turner outlines solutions to the longevity conundrum. Noam Chomsky supports equitable globalization.
Niklas Zennström, Mike Fries, Sanjiv Ahuja and Matt Bross show how telecoms are changing lives.
Institutional trust
Shirin Ebadi says democracy demands free speech. Oh Yeon Ho extols “citizen journalism” and Mark Damazer highbrow news. Greg Nickels outlines how cities can combat global warming. Ken Livingstone wants more power for London. William Parrett, Mike Rake, James Turley and Samuel DiPiazza agree that Sarbanes-Oxley has done some good.
The need for effective leadership
Extremist Islam remains a worry. Jason Burke declares al-Qaeda an idea not an organization. Pervez Musharraf says Pakistan is doing its bit in the “war on terror”. Tariq Ramadan explains how to be a good Muslim and a good European. Pervez Hoodbhoy urges his coreligionists to embrace science. Abdullah Badawi advocates a moderate, productive Islam, though Luigi Zingales says the religion is least amenable to capitalism. The pope offers friendship.
Climate change is another challenge. James Schiro says contract ambiguities deter catastrophe insurers. Bjørn Lomborg says other problems outweigh climate change, but James Speth stresses environmentalism.
Paul Wolfowitz says aid recipients must tidy their own stables. Jagdish Bhagwati says donors should appeal to altruism. Ronald Cohen advocates private equity techniques to combat poverty. Angelina Jolie summarizes: “We want a future better.’
Margaret Doyle, editor
