OWP 2022: Leading For the Future

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“The digital divide is very problematic across many levels,” said Bris. Technology creates massive income disparities across countries. The United Nations has identified that 35% of the world’s population does not have access to the internet and, for many, internet access is unaffordable. The divide also impacts gender inclusion with a marked divide being seen in many countries in access to technology by gender, further exacerbating inequality.

Yet, while the digital divide is problematic, to make the world more sustainable requires investing in more technology, especially when combatting climate change. “Data shows that investment in technology, such as green or blue hydrogen, is necessary to provide those emerging markets, that are producing significant carbon emissions, the ability to transform their sources of energy,” said Bris. THE WAY FORWARD Bris said that he believes that individual actions cannot resolve any of these dilemmas. Instead, the world needs some type of international coordination or central authority to address bigger issues. “If you leave individuals to make these decisions, you will land up with a suboptimal social result.”

Bris said that policymakers have a very problematic set of choices. “You can’t do everything [focus on technology, sustainability, and economic growth] at the same time. If you make the country more digital, you exacerbate digital inequalities and you may lose the next election. If you focus on sustainability, it can come at the expense of economic growth and then you are going to lose the next election anyway. And if you don’t focus on either of these, then you are not doing the right thing. So, you are left with a compromise that you need to settle, and here political leadership is exceptionally important.”

TECHNOLOGY, SUSTAINABILITY, AND ECONOMIC GROWTH AT CONFLICT “If we look at technology, sustainability and challenges to growth, they are at odds with each other in many different ways,” Bris said. “With technology you create value for a few, you produce more with fewer people, but those left out of the market become poorer.” “We cannot have digital nations that remain at the same time sustainable,” said Bris, as he argued that it is not possible, at a country level, to excel at technology and sustainability. Why is this the case? Digital transformation is creating massive inequalities within countries. For example, consider that for one successful wealthy tech entrepreneur in Silicon Valley there are at least ten peopleworking in basic income jobs.

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