Global Future Research Articles

Possible Contours of Developing International Trade in the Perimeter of Global Value Chains under the Conditions of New Reality

The transition from hyperglobalization to slowgbalization that began after the 2008 global financial crisis has increased skepticism about the future of globalization and motivation to adjust the architecture of international trade. The subsequent series of global shocks – the aggravation of the US-Chinese trade relations, the COVID-19 pandemic, the events in Ukraine in 2022-2023 – aggravated the situation, exacerbating the problem of stopping the negative consequences of the disruption of supply chains of goods and services. The purpose of the article is to clarify the contours of restructuring and outlooks for the development of cross-border trade in the context of new reality: the imposition of global shocks, increasing geopolitical uncertainty and increasing fragmentation of the world economy. The object of the study is the international trade in the perimeter of global value chains (GVCs), whose share in world trade increased from 34.93% in 1995 to 45.24% in 2007 and, after falling to 43.49% in 2020, quickly recovered and increased to 49.38% in 2022. The analysis of quantitative and structural shifts in GVC-trade was based on the methodology of structuring exports in the categories of value added by A. Borin and M. Mancini. The prospects for GVC-trade were assessed using the methods of identifying the “risk iness” of goods in the export-import turnover of S. Majune and V. Stolzenburg, the frequency of cross-border bilateral interactions of S. Liang, the agglomeration to global trade of K. Baris. The characteristics of the four main options for strengthening the resistance of GVCs in modern conditions are given – reshoring, diversification, regionalization and replication. The working hypothesis has been confirmed: all 4 considered trajectories are not mutually exclusive and none of them presupposes complete autarky of the country. The main conclusion is made, according to which the negative events in the global economy of the last decade reconfigured trade flows, accelerated the processes of regionalization of the global economy, but did not become a trigger for deglobalization.

World Futures Day 2023 Global futures agenda by The Millennium Project

World Futures Day (WFD), the 24 h round-the-world participatory method hosted every year by The Millennium Project and others on March 1, stimulates conversations and collective intelligence on possible futures. The 2023 edition marked its tenth anniversary. The 2023 Global futures agenda coming out from the data analysis is composed of four main clusters, each listing future oriented topics and related contents. Cluster 1, Complex solutions for complex problems, includes topics such as Environmental regeneration, Predictable food systems, Energy transition, Homo Galaxia, and Synergetic relations for peace. Cluster 2, A hyper-technological humanity, includes topics such as A biological revolution, New definitions of truth, An emotional AGI, A conscious AGI, and AGI governance. Cluster 3, Education and learning for a better future, includes topics such as Intelligent agent teachers, Intergenerational storytelling, and A cultural shift to self-actualization. Cluster 4, Improving global foresight, includes topics such as Futurists as a contradiction, A new leadership agenda, Futures shapers, The power of stories, Judging trillions of scenarios, Committees and summits for the future. After discussing some changes in the contents addressed over the years and some potential next steps for the research on WFD, the conclusions report that one key takeaway from WFD 2023 is that we have a vital need for pragmatic hope.

Women’s Leadership as an Accelerator for Gender Equality and Advancing SDGs for a Sustainable Future

Women's leadership emerges as a transformative force with far-reaching implications. This paper explores how elevating women to leadership positions not only advances gender equality but also propels progress across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By examining evidence from diverse sectors and global contexts, it demonstrates that women leaders foster inclusive decision-making, promote collaborative and innovative problem-solving, and create environments that are conducive to both social and economic advancements. The presence of women in leadership roles has been linked to improved organizational performance, financial success, economic growth and greater resilience, and societal well-being, peace and stability. Furthermore, women's leadership challenges entrenched norms and biases, setting a precedent for systemic change that benefits society at large. This paper argues that investing in women's leadership is not merely a matter of equity but a strategic imperative for sustainable development, offering a pathway to a more balanced, prosperous, and resilient global future.

Environmental Social And Governance (ESG) And Corporate Governance in ASEAN A Threshold Effects of Corporate Strategy 1

Sustainable development goals (SDGs) constitute 17 sets of goals to be achieved by the end of the said year. The SDGs prioritize problems associated with hunger, inequality, climate change, environmental destruction, peace, and justice for a better global future (United Nations, 2018). This study has two objectives, first, to examine the relationship between corporate governance mechanisms and corporate sustainability performance across ASEAN-listed companies. Second, to explore the threshold effect of corporate strategy in a nexus relationship between corporate governance mechanisms and corporate sustainability performance. This study uses 118 companies in ASEAN-5 countries as study’s sample. The period covers from 2011-2020. Both fixed effect model and fixed effect threshold regression are employed to capture linear and nonlinear estimation, respectively. The study validates the female directors and the independent directors on ASEAN boards positively impacts corporate sustainability. Intriguingly, the intervention of corporate strategy will mitigate the low company’s ESG score while strengthening the link between corporate governance and ESG score. This study has practical implications for companies, investors, and regulators looking to in incorporate ESG factors into capital expenditure decisions and reporting.

Social Justice and the World of Work. Possible Global Futures. Essays in honour of Francis Maupain, edited by Brian Langille and Anne Trebilcock

Social Justice and the World of Work. Possible Global Futures. Essays in honour of Francis Maupain, edited by Brian Langille and Anne Trebilcock

Social Justice and the World of Work: Possible Global Futures, edited by Brian Langille and Anne Trebilcock

Social Justice and the World of Work: Possible Global Futures, edited by Brian Langille and Anne Trebilcock

A mini-review on safeguarding global health amidst a "Pandemic" of armed conflicts.

The year 2022 witnessed an alarming surge in state-based armed conflicts globally, reaching a staggering 56, with major hostilities in Ukraine, Myanmar, and Nigeria resulting in over 10,000 estimated conflict-related deaths. This trend continued with the onset of a significant conflict between Israel and Hamas in October 2023. The escalating frequency of armed conflicts, reaching the highest number since 1946, poses a critical threat to global health. This paper explores the multifaceted health impacts of armed conflicts, encompassing physical injuries, infectious diseases, malnutrition, and profound mental health consequences. Healthcare systems in conflict zones face severe strain, and achieving Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 becomes increasingly challenging. The surge in armed conflicts globally is characterized as a "pandemic," justifying urgent attention. The paper identifies and discusses strategies to safeguard public health in conflict zones, emphasizing humanitarian response, protecting healthcare workers and infrastructure, building preparedness and resilience, and promoting mental health support. In navigating this "pandemic" of armed conflicts, comprehensive strategies are imperative to address the intricate challenges and secure a healthier global future.

A converging path: a decade’s reflection on net zero emissions and the circular economy

In the past decade, global sustainability efforts have increasingly focused on two critical paradigms: achieving net zero emissions (NZE) and advancing the circular economy (CE). This article provides a detailed examination of the challenges and breakthroughs in harmonizing these approaches, drawing from a broad range of academic discussions, technological innovations, policy developments, and practical implementations. We identify specific obstacles, such as technological limitations, policy inertia, and economic and social barriers, that hinder progress towards NZE and CE. The paper then outlines targeted solutions, including cutting-edge technologies like carbon capture and storage, policy frameworks that incentivize sustainable practices, and examples of successful circular economy models. Through a critical analysis of both the synergies and tensions between NZE and CE, the article highlights the necessity for cross-sector collaboration, robust policy support, and ongoing innovation to overcome these challenges. Concluding with a forward-looking perspective, we emphasize strategic pathways for integrated sustainability efforts, advocating for a multi-faceted approach that combines technological advancement, policy reform, and stakeholder engagement. By offering a more nuanced understanding of the interplay between theoretical goals and practical realities, this revised abstract aims to inspire action and foster a collective move towards a sustainable global future.

The emergence of the new globalization: the approach of the evolutionary structural triptych

Purpose This study aims to analyze the emergence of a new structural configuration of globalization, with the 2008 global financial crisis serving as the first symptom of this change. By introducing the “Evolutionary Structural Triptych” (EST), this research seeks to understand the basic components of the new evolutionary trajectory of global capitalism post-2008. The study places emphasis on its interdependent and coevolving economic, political and technological dynamic facets. Design/methodology/approach This research introduces the EST framework, critically contrasting it with conventional understandings in international political economy (IPE) to provide a comprehensive and structured analysis of global developments after 2008. It traces the phases of global capitalism since Second World War, examines the central dynamic dimensions during each evolutionary phase, identifies the basic patterns and delves into the foundational elements of the emerging era of globalization. Findings The analysis reveals three key findings. First, the emerging restructured globalization indicates a need for a new balance in the contemporary world system; however, this balance cannot be achieved within the architecture of the old system. Second, the new era of globalization necessitates a re-equilibrated approach across different dimensions of geopolitical stability, economic development and innovation. This approach should emphasize sustainability, adaptability, resilience and inclusivity and lean toward responsible, open and organic innovation models for a revamped global structure. Third, while many current IPE theories tend to compartmentalize aspects of the new globalization, the EST advocates for a holistic perspective that integrates politics, economics and technology within the framework of global trends. This perspective bridges existing gaps and offers actionable insights for a dynamic and inclusive global future. Originality/value The paper presents the EST as a novel analytical instrument in the realm of the modern IPE. This tool uniquely places technology and innovation at the forefront, parallel to economic and political spheres, to comprehend the progression of globalization. In doing so, it highlights the intertwined relationship of these structural dimensions in shaping the future of the subject of the IPE.

Thinking Planetary About Global Futures: Posthuman Cosmopolitanism

Abstract The link between the global condition and planetary thinking is a crucial one when thinking about the future. Positing itself in the context of future-oriented history and posthumanist and planetary thinking, the essay reflects on a central concept of global thought such as cosmopolitanism, theorizing the possibility of a posthuman cosmopolitanism. Built on concepts such as multiple modernities and secularities, philosophical posthumanism, and non-anthropocentric history, posthuman cosmopolitanism is primarily future-focused, globally rooted, and planetary oriented. Specifically, by proposing as a case study of a sort a posthumanist approach to a rethinking of cosmopolitanism, the essay emphasizes how thinking planetary and in a posthumanist and post-anthropocentric way does not entail, as it may be assumed, a relativization and loss of relevance of “the human” per se, but a more complex web of intra-active relations. By building on the work of authors such as Braidotti, Domanska, Chakrabarty, Simon, and Latour, the essay proposes an original reflection, engaging with a crucial issue such as how to think about a global future that focuses on globality as the product of interconnected, multiple processes and constantly shifting interrelations between human and non-human forces.

Global Futurities: Articulating the Struggle for (Other)worldly Justice

Abstract This essay lays out the concept of global futurities, which I define as the discursive scales and plural epistemologies by which marginalized identities and groups articulate, construct, imagine, or locate their futures. While global future is usually based on what could happen to all people and the planet, my framework of global futurities maps the differential horizon of being and co-becoming for those who have been historically denied a future due to discriminatory processes such as Black communities, Indigenous peoples, formerly colonized populations, migrants, etc. Such futurities are not simply pluralistic in terms of cultural diversity, but they serve as counter-hegemonic forms of futuring and worlding, shaped by dissident interests and political actors dedicated to promoting (Other)worldly justice. These subaltern viewpoints challenge a singular framing of humanity, as they involve multiple nodes and networks of power/knowledge/desire. These ontological and temporal geographies are centered in queer, feminist, intersectional, anti-racist, multi-species forms of collective agency amid existential threats from colonialism, globalization, the Anthropocene, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Opening Conversations with Marxist Feminists: A Response to the Symposium on Marxist-Feminist Theories and Struggles Today

Marxism-feminism is a vital field with diverse voices and different political agendas for social justice, from the defense of land and water to the reorganization of production. The anthology Marxist-Feminist Theories and Struggles Today aims to grasp the originality and relevance of that tradition. The book represents a variety of contributions, defined as Marxist feminist by their authors, who presented papers at the Marxist Feminist Congress in Vienna in 2016. This was the second International Marxist Feminist Conference, the first having been initiated by the feminist section of the Berlin Institute of Critical Theory. Drawing on different theoretical frameworks and practices of Marxist feminism, the edited anthology provides an invitation to converse about our understanding and practice of engaging gendered, racialized heterocapitalism for a better global future. This book symposium and its reviewers demonstrate the richness of the resulting conversation.

“We Must Not Be Caught Sleeping.” Pandemic Futures, the WHO, and Global Preparedness Plans in the 1990s and Early 2000s

Abstract Preparing for the next pandemic became not only a national task, but a problem with international, even global dimensions. No single nation on its own is able to stop the next pandemic; no borders are strong enough to keep microbial threats outside the nation-state’s territory. This essay focuses on the role of the WHO in pandemic preparedness planning in the 1990s and early 2000s: What vision of the global future did the international organization follow and design? What measures did it propose to reduce risks? What narratives did it use to define its own role in these processes?

The Future of Globalization

The future of globalization has been debated ever since the term was introduced. The recent shocks of the Great Recession and the pandemic seem to herald a new epoch in the trajectory of globalization. Moving away from the hyperglobalization of the 1990s and 2000s, the world appears to be transitioning into a phase of deglobalization. The concept of globalization is intricate and multifaceted. This paper delves into four aspects of globalization: economic, political, social, and cultural. Poverty alleviation should stand as the paramount objective of globalization, closely intertwined with economic growth and democracy. The latter is essential for implementing policies that channel the benefits of economic growth to those striving to break free from poverty. In conclusion, it's asserted that globalization, when coupled with democracy, can continue to foster poverty reduction. The end of this process is the total eradication of poverty. Keywords: globalization, hyperglobalization, poverty, growth, democracy, openness, international trade, exports, education, illiteracy, life expectancy

How to unite local initiatives for a more sustainable global future

This article challenges the belief in high-tech solutions to solve socio-environmental crises, proposing a political vision beyond "green growth" and "ecomodernism.". It advocates for a commons-based technology framework, promoting collective resource management for sustainability. We thus introduce "cosmolocal" production, a configuration that strives to connect communities around shared resources and serve their needs while minimizing ecological impact. Despite acknowledged tensions, we contend that the cosmolocal framework could foster institutional and social change, aiming to address environmental degradation and wealth inequality. To support this contention on cosmolocal production's potential, we point to several successful examples from the open-source technology paradigm.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF GLOBALIZATION AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIAL POLICY.

Since the 1990s, the word globalization has established itself in the colloquial dictionary and has gradually become dominant in political, economic and academic discourses. Globalization has taken the world to a new level and in the modern era it has acquired an increasingly large-scale character. The transition from industrial societies to post-industrial tracks gave a push for world development and accelerated the process of globalization and gave a ne w orientation to the world economy. The presented work describes a number of issues related to the positive and negative meaning of globalization and its effects on economic and social policy. There are reviewed the importance of international organizations in the development of social policy and, in general, actual issues and approaches of global social policy. Globalization has been blamed for such processes as unequal distribution of income among countries, reducing the role of the state in regulating the economy, pressure on states to pursue to adopt market-friendly policies that prompte trade investment, as a result, social tension is increasing, the role of the state in the social sphere is weakening, the influence of Western values is strengthening, and national traditions are being neglected. The economic and financial crisis of one powerful country has a negative impact on other countries of the world. Despite the negative aspects, the benefit of globalization to the social welfare of mankind is great. Globalization is considered to be the basis of many successes for states, reducing poverty, increasing economic prosperity, developing better services and increasing awareness of human rights. Even those who are skeptical of the benefits brought by globalization must be convinced that there is no alternative, so avoiding it means isolating the country. In fact, the world is gaining new standards. Keywords: relevance of globalization, advantages and disadvantages of globalization, future of globalization, convergence, decommodification, stratification, elements of globalization, types of welfare state.

Designing our Thinking: Examining the Effects of Experiential Learning and Design Thinking on Creativity, Innovation, and Collaboration Skills Development in the Undergraduate Classroom

This paper shares initial findings from a study of the way that design thinking and experiential learning informed approaches to teaching can help programs and institutions in the higher education community meet the teaching and learning objectives identified by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as critical for our global future. The project surveyed undergraduate students in a large first year introductory course to learn more about how design thinking based learning practices might serve to extend an experiential learning pedagogical approach toward the successful development of innovation, creativity, interpersonal, self-paced, problem-based and lifelong learning skills. Results from the survey of 600 students reveal that using a design thinking model of learning as part of an experiential learning curriculum may be an effective way to enhance the development of the identified skills and approaches within an experiential learning framework. Students who experienced the addition of design thinking based learning practices to an experiential learning framework reported higher levels of confidence in their innovation and creativity skills and were more likely to seek opportunities for collaboration and self-paced learning than those who participated in an experiential learning focused section of the same class. This article provides an illustration of the impact of using design thinking as an extension of experiential learning in an undergraduate higher education class and offers recommendations for institutions and professional programs seeking to meet World Economic Forum Education 4.0 Initiative goals.

Market sentiment and price dynamics in weak markets: A comprehensive empirical analysis of the soybean meal option market

AbstractThis study addresses key issues of market efficiency in weak global futures markets, focusing on the intricate relationship between market sentiment and options pricing. Employing rolling variance ratio tests and information‐sharing models for market dynamics analysis, and supplemented with Granger causality tests and impulse response findings, it reveals a significant, unidirectional impact of market sentiment on options pricing, especially during periods of heightened sentiment. These insights underscore the importance of considering time dynamics in market behavior analysis, offering a novel perspective on futures and options market understanding.

Sparking Dynamic Dialogue on Everyday Solutions through Solution Mapping Cards

The contemporary world is amid a dynamic and transformative phase characterised by fundamental shifts, leading to complex environmental, socioeconomic, healthcare, and social challenges. This convergence of multifaceted requires a holistic and innovative approach to ensure a sustainable and harmonious global future. Design for social innovation has introduced novel expertise and methodologies, leveraging the dynamics inherent in social systems to create impactful solutions by actively engaging stakeholders to understand contextual perspectives and minimise knowledge gaps. Solution Mapping Tools facilitate communities to delve into the significance of local needs and assets in addressing everyday societal challenges. Incorporate within these tools, Solution Mapping Cards foster dialogue and understanding by transforming abstract concepts into tangible representations. The main topic resulting from this article revolves around the evolving nature of design thinking, the role of designers in addressing complex problems, and the practical implications of using tools such as Solution Mapping Cards.

Environmental Justice and Sustainable Development: Assessing Legal Frameworks for a Balanced Future

Environmental justice and sustainable development have become paramount considerations in contemporary global discourse. This journal article aims to assess the legal frameworks that underpin the pursuit of a balanced future, harmonizing environmental justice and sustainable development. The study scrutinizes existing legal mechanisms, their effectiveness, and potential areas for improvement to ensure an equitable and sustainable trajectory. The article begins by elucidating the imperative of balancing environmental justice and sustainable development, emphasizing the intertwined nature of social, economic, and environmental factors. A comprehensive review of current legal frameworks worldwide ensues, encompassing international agreements, national legislations, and regional initiatives. Key aspects evaluated include the inclusivity of legal instruments, their adaptability to evolving environmental challenges, and the effectiveness of enforcement mechanisms. Additionally, the study delves into case analyses that exemplify the application and impact of these legal frameworks in real-world scenarios. Findings suggest both successes and challenges in current legal approaches. While certain legal instruments have contributed to notable advancements, gaps persist in addressing intersectional environmental and social issues. The need for more robust enforcement mechanisms and enhanced global cooperation is evident. The article concludes by proposing recommendations for refining legal frameworks to better align with the principles of environmental justice and sustainable development. Emphasizing inclusivity, adaptability, and strengthened enforcement, the suggested improvements aim to foster a balanced future that prioritizes the well-being of both present and future generations. This study contributes to the ongoing discourse on environmental governance and underscores the pivotal role of legal frameworks in shaping a sustainable and just global future.