CIGI Launches the Global Economic Scenarios Program

Global Economic Scenarios (GES), a new research program at CIGI, explores the potential architectures of global economic order, drawing from data-driven insights captured through global forecasts and trends analysis that project out to 2040.

The analysis also considers the key role of technology in affecting growth and state capacity and recognizes other key challenges such as environmental change, inequality and democracy, and various uncertainties. One of the major conclusions of the research is that a new multipolar world order is likely to emerge due to the recent international turmoil that we have witnessed and is here to stay with us for decades.

In this video, CIGI President Paul Samson and GES project team members Tracey Forrest, Bessma Momani, Tim Sargent and Nikolina Zivkovic introduce the program, explaining that its researchers will be not only analyzing economic, demographic and fiscal indicators to explore how the global economic system will likely evolve in the upcoming decades but also looking at implications for shaping the future of global economic order by way of governance and cooperation.

With the commercialization of outer space, more private companies than ever before are launching rockets and satellites, boosting the supply of space assets and infrastructure for both civilian and military use.

In this new paper, Gregory Falco, Nicolò Boschetti and Ioannis (Yanni) Nikas look at satellite ground stations in the Arctic, how they are used and how they can be protected in the face of growing geopolitical tensions among major powers such as China, Russia and the United States.

The authors highlight that “while dual-use technologies, such as satellite communications, have many civilian applications, they can also become military targets, posing significant security risks.”

The World Nuclear Association states that around 30 countries are currently exploring conventional nuclear programs, while the Institute for Science and International Security reports that several are exploring the weaponization of nuclear technology.

Daniel Araya says that amid the rise of new nuclear states leading to a significant shift in the global balance of power, predicting which states will become nuclear powers in the twenty-first century remains a formidable challenge. However, he suggests that “notwithstanding the many challenges inherent within a multipolar system, effective diplomatic engagement, conflict resolution and cooperative security frameworks will remain essential to navigating a world bristling with nuclear weapons.”

Colin J. Bennett argues that adequacy has proven to be a comprehensive, elegant solution applicable to any business, including small and medium-sized enterprises, reducing the need for further contractual or other solutions, and the legal fees associated.

Bennett writes that Canada’s being recognized as a safe harbour, which adequacy status confers, is by far the most preferred and efficient solution for businesses. However, he emphasizes the need for Canada to have a stronger and modernized privacy protection framework, regardless of the demands of our European partners. “Effective privacy protection law and implementation need to be rooted in the institutions and the culture of the jurisdiction in question. They cannot be imposed externally,” he says.

Apr. 25 – 3:00 p.m. EDT (UTC–04:00): Join us online for a discussion on ⿻數位 Plurality with E. Glen Weyl and CIGI President Paul Samson.

While digital technology threatens to tear our free and open societies apart through polarization, inequality, loneliness and fear, on a delicate, diverse and politically divided East Asian island things are different. In the decade since the occupation of Taiwan’s parliament, this island of resilience achieved inclusive, technology-fuelled growth, and entrusted the people to tackle shared challenges such as environmental protection, while capitalizing on a culture of innovation to “hack the government.”

Tickets are free; find out more and register here.