The past year was as dynamic as you can get in current political and economic climate, so I simply can't wait to once again talk to You in Paris about a variety of issues.
For me the issues of New Societal Contract and Digitalisation and Automatisation of Work are intertwined - we as a society are in deep crisis - our old, traditional local communities have fallen apart and were replaced by anti-tribes of omnipresent politics. And, as we all know it - from Brexit to Trump, from the Wall to Green New Deal - joining the political anti-tribes brings us just a short-term comfort of hating others on Twitter rather than building valueable, full-grown relationships that will last years. And the reason for that is depressingly simple - loneliness.
As Pew Research Centre showed us 2 years ago during The Forum, the majority of most of the OECD member states citizens are pessimistic about the future ahead. The reason why is not only rooted in economics and demographics, but also in the fact that we as a species seems to lost ability to form organizations, associations and other local institutions designed centuries ago to bring people together regardless of their political views.
In his brilliant book "Them" Ben Sasse, US Senator from Nebraska (who will be great guest at The Forum, if I might suggest) argue that technology, especially social media, enabled us to go rootless on the world, driving us apart by hyperpolitical content and "new brave world far away from us", so we can no longer understand hopes, dreams and fears of one another. The second issue that, according to Sasse, destroyed our Societal Contract, is the revolution of work.
The technology allows economy to grow, but a historic pace of technological transformation means that billions of people are feeling the consequenses of it. McKinsey Global Institute predicts in their report on the future of work in the age of AI that 50% of activities that people are paid to do in the global economy right now have the potential to be automated by adopting currently demonstrated technology. Furthermore, 1/3 of workers in the globe could see their jobs disrupted within the next 12 years.
This fast pace of changes means that my young generation will have to change jobs every few years while my parents generation were able to work in 2-3 companies their entire lifes. That means that the other source of possible long time relationships - at work - is and will be also unavailable to people in their twenties.
So, it seems to me that in order to find a solution to any economic aspects of the questions You asked, we have to start by finding a solutions to lack of basic relationships, upon which community can be establish.
As silly as it can sound, the crucial answer to the question: "How can we prepare for Digitalisation and the Future of Work?" simply has to be: together. Or not at all.
I can't wait to see You in May and discuss all of those issues,
Marcel
Hi Kieran!
First of all, thanks for acknowledging my last year's suggestions!
My example of Sen. Sasse book meant to show that on the basics most conservatives and liberals have similar goals and are concerned by the same problem. We differ on the solutions, but discussion and cooperation can bring us to mutually satisfying compromise. The First Step Act in the US is the example that even in Trump era bipartisan work is possible. The recent surge of so-called "far-right" is simply expression of frustration on the right, that we for a long time felt ridiculed, ignored and silenced by liberal majority when we expressed our views on migration, globalisation etc.
The heart of conservative movement beats in the UK and US, so if someone like Ben Sasse, Douglas Murray, Niall Ferguson or Andrew Neil could be invited, it will be fantastic. Furthermore, after attending 3 OECD Forums I still believe that an event when people identifying themselves as liberal try to find good faith reasoning for conservative actions and vice versa could be really refreshing, especially if at the end we could come from the other "side", reflect on that work and come closer together.
The OECD, if it wants to stay relevant, have to be more balanced. Otherwise, in the event of further right wing swipe in developed world, you'll be ignored by the governments looking at you as a policy vehicle for liberals. That would be terrible since OECD is doing awesome job on economic side (maybe also on others, but I'm an economist :) ) So if you could invite experts like Bernard Connolly, Patrick Minford or Stephen Moore to talk and exchange views, that would also overally increase Forum's exposure on conservative views.
The past year was as dynamic as you can get in current political and economic climate, so I simply can't wait to once again talk to You in Paris about a variety of issues.
For me the issues of New Societal Contract and Digitalisation and Automatisation of Work are intertwined - we as a society are in deep crisis - our old, traditional local communities have fallen apart and were replaced by anti-tribes of omnipresent politics. And, as we all know it - from Brexit to Trump, from the Wall to Green New Deal - joining the political anti-tribes brings us just a short-term comfort of hating others on Twitter rather than building valueable, full-grown relationships that will last years. And the reason for that is depressingly simple - loneliness.
As Pew Research Centre showed us 2 years ago during The Forum, the majority of most of the OECD member states citizens are pessimistic about the future ahead. The reason why is not only rooted in economics and demographics, but also in the fact that we as a species seems to lost ability to form organizations, associations and other local institutions designed centuries ago to bring people together regardless of their political views.
In his brilliant book "Them" Ben Sasse, US Senator from Nebraska (who will be great guest at The Forum, if I might suggest) argue that technology, especially social media, enabled us to go rootless on the world, driving us apart by hyperpolitical content and "new brave world far away from us", so we can no longer understand hopes, dreams and fears of one another. The second issue that, according to Sasse, destroyed our Societal Contract, is the revolution of work.
The technology allows economy to grow, but a historic pace of technological transformation means that billions of people are feeling the consequenses of it. McKinsey Global Institute predicts in their report on the future of work in the age of AI that 50% of activities that people are paid to do in the global economy right now have the potential to be automated by adopting currently demonstrated technology. Furthermore, 1/3 of workers in the globe could see their jobs disrupted within the next 12 years.
This fast pace of changes means that my young generation will have to change jobs every few years while my parents generation were able to work in 2-3 companies their entire lifes. That means that the other source of possible long time relationships - at work - is and will be also unavailable to people in their twenties.
So, it seems to me that in order to find a solution to any economic aspects of the questions You asked, we have to start by finding a solutions to lack of basic relationships, upon which community can be establish.
As silly as it can sound, the crucial answer to the question: "How can we prepare for Digitalisation and the Future of Work?" simply has to be: together. Or not at all.
I can't wait to see You in May and discuss all of those issues,
First of all, Thank You Sir for that Idea of communication with participant's community, I think it is important, as Prof. Sunstein explained to us last year, to have our voices heard by organizers. It is also, of course, the microcosm for whole communities today, who are raising their voice of concern and feel ignored by authorities. So I have few suggestions for workshops/panel discussions during this year Forum, which I hope to attend once again:
Inter-values debate: political divides between conservatives and liberals are now the wider in the generation. Pew Research Centre published a report before the 2016 US Presidential Elections, which said that almost 50% of voters on both side are afraid of the other party in power. The tensions between ordinary people with different opinions and values are also now the highest in our generation. I myself feel sometimes quite alone as a conservative voice during the Forum, so I would like to explore the topic: how to ease a tension and treat seriously concerns and opinions of people with completely different values? Do we have a right to offend and be offended, as a tool to develop our character and opinion or should we have a right to stay in our "safe spaces" forever?
Recent Comments
Hi Anthony!
The past year was as dynamic as you can get in current political and economic climate, so I simply can't wait to once again talk to You in Paris about a variety of issues.
For me the issues of New Societal Contract and Digitalisation and Automatisation of Work are intertwined - we as a society are in deep crisis - our old, traditional local communities have fallen apart and were replaced by anti-tribes of omnipresent politics. And, as we all know it - from Brexit to Trump, from the Wall to Green New Deal - joining the political anti-tribes brings us just a short-term comfort of hating others on Twitter rather than building valueable, full-grown relationships that will last years. And the reason for that is depressingly simple - loneliness.
As Pew Research Centre showed us 2 years ago during The Forum, the majority of most of the OECD member states citizens are pessimistic about the future ahead. The reason why is not only rooted in economics and demographics, but also in the fact that we as a species seems to lost ability to form organizations, associations and other local institutions designed centuries ago to bring people together regardless of their political views.
In his brilliant book "Them" Ben Sasse, US Senator from Nebraska (who will be great guest at The Forum, if I might suggest) argue that technology, especially social media, enabled us to go rootless on the world, driving us apart by hyperpolitical content and "new brave world far away from us", so we can no longer understand hopes, dreams and fears of one another. The second issue that, according to Sasse, destroyed our Societal Contract, is the revolution of work.
The technology allows economy to grow, but a historic pace of technological transformation means that billions of people are feeling the consequenses of it. McKinsey Global Institute predicts in their report on the future of work in the age of AI that 50% of activities that people are paid to do in the global economy right now have the potential to be automated by adopting currently demonstrated technology. Furthermore, 1/3 of workers in the globe could see their jobs disrupted within the next 12 years.
This fast pace of changes means that my young generation will have to change jobs every few years while my parents generation were able to work in 2-3 companies their entire lifes. That means that the other source of possible long time relationships - at work - is and will be also unavailable to people in their twenties.
So, it seems to me that in order to find a solution to any economic aspects of the questions You asked, we have to start by finding a solutions to lack of basic relationships, upon which community can be establish.
As silly as it can sound, the crucial answer to the question: "How can we prepare for Digitalisation and the Future of Work?" simply has to be: together. Or not at all.
I can't wait to see You in May and discuss all of those issues,
Marcel
Hi Kieran!
First of all, thanks for acknowledging my last year's suggestions!
My example of Sen. Sasse book meant to show that on the basics most conservatives and liberals have similar goals and are concerned by the same problem. We differ on the solutions, but discussion and cooperation can bring us to mutually satisfying compromise. The First Step Act in the US is the example that even in Trump era bipartisan work is possible. The recent surge of so-called "far-right" is simply expression of frustration on the right, that we for a long time felt ridiculed, ignored and silenced by liberal majority when we expressed our views on migration, globalisation etc.
The heart of conservative movement beats in the UK and US, so if someone like Ben Sasse, Douglas Murray, Niall Ferguson or Andrew Neil could be invited, it will be fantastic. Furthermore, after attending 3 OECD Forums I still believe that an event when people identifying themselves as liberal try to find good faith reasoning for conservative actions and vice versa could be really refreshing, especially if at the end we could come from the other "side", reflect on that work and come closer together.
The OECD, if it wants to stay relevant, have to be more balanced. Otherwise, in the event of further right wing swipe in developed world, you'll be ignored by the governments looking at you as a policy vehicle for liberals. That would be terrible since OECD is doing awesome job on economic side (maybe also on others, but I'm an economist :) ) So if you could invite experts like Bernard Connolly, Patrick Minford or Stephen Moore to talk and exchange views, that would also overally increase Forum's exposure on conservative views.
Can't wait for May!
Marcel
Hi Anthony!
The past year was as dynamic as you can get in current political and economic climate, so I simply can't wait to once again talk to You in Paris about a variety of issues.
For me the issues of New Societal Contract and Digitalisation and Automatisation of Work are intertwined - we as a society are in deep crisis - our old, traditional local communities have fallen apart and were replaced by anti-tribes of omnipresent politics. And, as we all know it - from Brexit to Trump, from the Wall to Green New Deal - joining the political anti-tribes brings us just a short-term comfort of hating others on Twitter rather than building valueable, full-grown relationships that will last years. And the reason for that is depressingly simple - loneliness.
As Pew Research Centre showed us 2 years ago during The Forum, the majority of most of the OECD member states citizens are pessimistic about the future ahead. The reason why is not only rooted in economics and demographics, but also in the fact that we as a species seems to lost ability to form organizations, associations and other local institutions designed centuries ago to bring people together regardless of their political views.
In his brilliant book "Them" Ben Sasse, US Senator from Nebraska (who will be great guest at The Forum, if I might suggest) argue that technology, especially social media, enabled us to go rootless on the world, driving us apart by hyperpolitical content and "new brave world far away from us", so we can no longer understand hopes, dreams and fears of one another. The second issue that, according to Sasse, destroyed our Societal Contract, is the revolution of work.
The technology allows economy to grow, but a historic pace of technological transformation means that billions of people are feeling the consequenses of it. McKinsey Global Institute predicts in their report on the future of work in the age of AI that 50% of activities that people are paid to do in the global economy right now have the potential to be automated by adopting currently demonstrated technology. Furthermore, 1/3 of workers in the globe could see their jobs disrupted within the next 12 years.
This fast pace of changes means that my young generation will have to change jobs every few years while my parents generation were able to work in 2-3 companies their entire lifes. That means that the other source of possible long time relationships - at work - is and will be also unavailable to people in their twenties.
So, it seems to me that in order to find a solution to any economic aspects of the questions You asked, we have to start by finding a solutions to lack of basic relationships, upon which community can be establish.
As silly as it can sound, the crucial answer to the question: "How can we prepare for Digitalisation and the Future of Work?" simply has to be: together. Or not at all.
I can't wait to see You in May and discuss all of those issues,
Marcel
First of all, Thank You Sir for that Idea of communication with participant's community, I think it is important, as Prof. Sunstein explained to us last year, to have our voices heard by organizers. It is also, of course, the microcosm for whole communities today, who are raising their voice of concern and feel ignored by authorities. So I have few suggestions for workshops/panel discussions during this year Forum, which I hope to attend once again:
Inter-values debate: political divides between conservatives and liberals are now the wider in the generation. Pew Research Centre published a report before the 2016 US Presidential Elections, which said that almost 50% of voters on both side are afraid of the other party in power. The tensions between ordinary people with different opinions and values are also now the highest in our generation. I myself feel sometimes quite alone as a conservative voice during the Forum, so I would like to explore the topic: how to ease a tension and treat seriously concerns and opinions of people with completely different values? Do we have a right to offend and be offended, as a tool to develop our character and opinion or should we have a right to stay in our "safe spaces" forever?
I would be delighted for any opinions,
Thanks in advance,
Marcel Lesik