The ‘health’ of the global economy will be subject to its own form of long Covid while geopolitics tops the business agenda. In a world where war is waged at a disembodied distance the value of in-person interactions is ever greater. The benefits of an awe walk could equate to a universal truth – wherever you are.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
”The pandemic is likely to give the world not just a deep recession, but years of debility.” – Martin Wolf
Martin Wolf, The threat of long economic Covid looms
(Financial Times, 20 October 2020)
This is a critical piece to make sense of what’s coming (sadly behind a paywall, but the article can be shared with non-FT-subscribers). The columnist argues that the pandemic is likely to give the world not just a deep recession, but years of debility. In his opinion, governments need to focus on the cost of inaction, not the cost of supporting economies, meaning that to meet the threat of a “long economic Covid”, policymakers must avoid repeating the mistake of withdrawing support too soon. A must-read (5-6 min).
Click here to read the full article.
James Manyika speaks with Richard Haass about businesses as ‘global entities’
(McKinsey Global Institute, 16 October 2020)
This is an edited transcript of a conversation between James Manyika, director of the McKinsey Global Institute, and Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations and author of The World: A Brief Introduction. The bottom line: geopolitics is returning to the top of the CEO agenda – “We’ve got to expect that we’re going to be in a world of greater, not less, geopolitical turbulence (…) and even an increase in conflict” (reads in about 15 min. without the videos).
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Pallavi Gogoi, Time To Ditch Those Awful Zoom Calls, CEOs Say
(NPR, 14 October 2020)
This sheds some light on why tomorrow’s world will be digital AND social (i.e. based on in-person interactions). Virtual interaction is great, but only as a second-best option. As human beings, we crave social interaction and human contact. We are increasingly aware of the shortcomings of virtual interactions and our collective tolerance level of them is lower and lower (reads in 3-4 min).
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Frank Pascuale, ‘Machines set loose to slaughter’: the dangerous rise of military AI
(The Guardian, 15 October 2020)
As the current conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh shows, modern warfare is already cyber. This article explains and demonstrates how autonomous machines capable of deadly force like killer drones are increasingly prevalent in modern conflicts. This poses numerous ethical concerns and dilemmas in terms of international humanitarian law (which governs armed conflict) for which we have, currently, no responses (reads in 10 min+).
Click here to read the full article.
Gretchen Reynolds, An ‘Awe Walk’ Might Do Wonders for Your Well-Being
(The New York Times, 30 September 2020)
This will come as no surprise to those of our subscribers who read our Ten Good Reasons To Go For a Walk. A new study shows that “awe walks” – consciously watching for small wonders in the world around us during an otherwise ordinary walk – could amplify the mental health benefits of the stroll. It comes on top of the considerable evidence that exercise, including walking, can buoy our moods and reduce risks of anxiety, depression, and other mental ills (reads in 5-6 min).
Click here to read the full article.
