In this virtual briefing, hosted by Greg Williams, editor of WIRED, with Richard Davies, author of Extreme Economies, we explore the resilience, entrepreneurship and fragility found in economies – and in humans. Recorded on May 13, 2020.
Davies has spent years researching how economies work under three categories of extreme stress – survival, failure and future. And, regardless of whether he was looking at one of the richest nations to the poorest countries, Davies witnessed some of the same trends and patterns emerging across all of them.
During the 35-minute video – relevant for economists and non-economists alike – we hear about the hidden economy, its underlying impact on economic resilience and some of the trends we can expect post COVID-19.
"We know for a fact that three big trends are going to affect the economy of the next 10-20 years," says Davies.
"The economy of 2030 is increasingly elderly as life expectancy rises and birth rates fall. It’s technologically advanced and it’s increasingly unequal as large emerging markets mature and incomes in those countries diverge. We know that these things are going to have economic impact, they’re on the horizon and they’re definitely going to test our resilience"
Watch the full video above or on YouTube here.
Richard Davies is an economist based in London. Currently a fellow at the London School of Economics he has been economic advisor to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors at HM Treasury, an economist and speechwriter at the Bank of England, and economics editor of the Economist. In addition, he has written for The Times and has published numerous articles and research papers including his most recently released book, Extreme Economies.
This book follows Richard's quest for a purer view of how economies succeed and fail. He journeyed to nine of the most extreme economies on earth to learn about the lives of people surviving and often thriving at the world’s margins.
Designed as an extension of WIRED’s long-running live conference portfolio, WIRED virtual briefings are punchy, deliberate and engaging sessions that reflect the same high calibre of speakers and programming featured at a WIRED event. This briefing is part of the WIRED Foresight series, curated by Greg Williams, editor of WIRED.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
