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Employment

Building a Better Future

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Friday, May 5, 2017
Abstract in English: 
To many Americans, the difficult issues facing Central America’s Northern Triangle—El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras—may seem distant. But the future of the United States is tied to these countries as some of our closest neighbors. Geography alone demonstrates that their stability and prosperity is critical to our national interest.
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52
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The Future of Jobs and Skills in Africa Preparing the Region for the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Abstract in English: 
With more than 60% of its population under the age of 25, sub-Saharan Africa is already the world’s youngest region today – and, by 2030, will be home to more than one-quarter of the world’s under-25 population. As this young population, the best-educated and globally connected the continent has ever had, enters the world of work, the region has a demographic opportunity. But the region can only leverage this opportunity by unlocking latent talent and preparing its people for the future of work.
The Executive Briefing – drawing on the insight and project work of the Forum’s System Initiative on Shaping the Future of Education, Gender and Work – aims to serve as a practical guide for leaders from business, government, civil society and the education sector, and finds that the region’s capacity to adapt to the requirements of future jobs leaves little space for complacency. While a number of African economies are relatively under-exposed to labour market disruptions at present, this picture is changing rapidly. This window of opportunity must be used by the region’s leaders to prepare for tomorrow.
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28
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The future of industry in Europe

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Abstract in English: 
This study analyses the key challenges for Local and Regional Authorities (LRAs) in developing a long-term, structured industrial policy, with a global view. The policy should promote structural change and raise the industrial contribution to GDP to the 20% target set by the European Commission (EC) in December 2014.
New means of production incorporate a mix of processes located in both high-cost and low-cost countries and are based on a wide range of factors enabled by technological developments. Significant changes in consumption are increasingly driven by individual needs which are more sensitive to social and environmental aspects. Together these require a more flexible, hybrid and servitisation-oriented industrial paradigm.
The way LRAs can guide this shift strictly depends on their ability to combine strengths in traditional sectors with innovative trajectories of industrial development in dynamic new sectors. Faced with a growing complexity of industrial challenges, LRAs are called on to design and implement a systemic industrial policy coordinated with national and EU level policies, pulled by vision and pushed by competition.
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140
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The sharing economy: challenges and outlook

Title Original Language: 
Enjeux et perspectives de la consommation collaborative
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Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Monday, April 10, 2017
Abstract in English: 
In the broadest sense, the sharing economy may be defined as a community of individuals lending, renting, donating, sharing, swapping and buying goods or services.

There are currently around 300 digital peer-to-peer platforms in France, many of which have an established global presence. This study looks at the state of the sharing economy – from a qualitative and quantitative slant – and analyses supply and demand trends across the following key sectors: travel, transport and storage services, accommodation, entertainment, food, consumer goods, clothing and footwear, domestic services and finance.

The study also considers how traditional players are responding – in some cases to direct competition from the sharing economy – and dissects the positive and negative forces shaping this new phenomenon, touching on aspects such as macroeconomic factors, regulation, new technologies, consumer habits and business model viability.

In addition, the authors outline a series of scenarios depicting what the sharing economy could look like in 2020 – a transition, a partnership between traditional players and new sharing economy protagonists, and an “economic bubble” triggered by unworkable business models. The study concludes with a set of recommendations on ways to foster this emerging trend through policy-making and regulation, focusing on the need to protect consumers, bolster sharing economy initiatives, and create a level playing field.

The service providers behind this study remain exclusively liable for the research methods used, as well as the findings and recommendations detailed in this report.
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336
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The future of additive manufacturing - 3D printing

Title Original Language: 
Futur de la fabrication additive
Original Language: 
Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Friday, March 3, 2017
Abstract in English: 
The innovative power of additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, lies in the way in which objects are designed and produced. The variety of processes used means that applications can be developed for industry – such as the creation of equipment or intermediate products – as well as for consumers. The technology, which has had several decades to mature, is making leaps and bounds, and has the potential to be deployed on a much wider scale in the future.

An in-depth review examines the various parts of the market, including the different stakeholders involved, the users (manufacturers and the general public) as well as the various ecosystems that create synergy between the various initiatives. It highlights the potential of additive manufacturing, in terms of boosting the competitiveness of French companies and creating opportunities in France's regions.

The review also includes four possible scenarios that show how the market could develop, and lists the roadblocks and drivers that influence each one. They are entitled "prototyping and experimentation", "scale-up of customisation", "mass production and performance improvements" and "shifts in the value chain". The goal of the resulting recommendations is to improve the conditions for providing support for stakeholders so that additive manufacturing can reach its full potential.

The methods used, the results obtained and the recommendations are the sole responsibility of the authors of the study.
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250
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Innovative uses of cars and new ways of getting around

Title Original Language: 
Usages novateurs de la voiture et nouvelles mobilités
Abstract Original Language: 
Ce travail se donne pour objectif d’explorer de nouvelles voies d’interprétation de l’émergence et de la transition des transports contemporains vers les nouveaux services de mobilité automobile. Aujourd’hui, les « nouvelles mobilités » font, en effet, figure de « nouvelle frontière » pour une partie du monde politique et intellectuel. Elles sont parées des vertus supposées d’une « croissance verte » qui redonnerait l’avantage aux pays et territoires mis à mal par la mondialisation et ses effets désindustrialisant. Ces nouvelles mobilités permettraient, selon cette croyance, de tourner le dos à un XXe siècle où l’on aurait confondu le progrès avec la croissance infinie d’une production industrielle aussi polluante qu’aliénante pour les consommateurs comme pour les travailleurs. Dans le programme politique qu’elles sous-entendent, ces nouvelles formes de mobilité engageraient les individus à réfléchir de manière plus collective et entrepreneuriale. Elles permettraient de créer de nouveaux besoins et de nouveaux profits dans la droite ligne des grandes thématiques contemporaines que sont le
numérique et l’écologie. Symbole d’une vision « high-tech » de l’écologie, ces nouvelles formes de mobilités tendent à se constituer comme un nouveau paradigme de l’automobile. Celui-ci serait appelé à structurer de nouveaux écosystèmes d’affaires qui permettraient d’amorcer une transition vers « le futur ». Aujourd’hui, on attribue bien volontiers à l’industrie automobile, à ses usines et à ses acteurs, les caractéristiques d’une économie vieillissante et conservatrice, incapable de se recomposer et d’adhérer à ce « nouveau paradigme ». Dans la vision positiviste dominante, l’industrie automobile est d’emblée condamnée. Elle représente une vision passéiste de l’économie et de la société, avec laquelle il est politiquement de plus en plus difficile de s’imposer.

L’idée que nous défendons dans ce rapport est que l’on peut entrevoir la dynamique des nouvelles mobilités et des nouveaux services automobiles à travers un prisme « industrialiste » et écologique, c'est-à-dire, comme un moyen de répondre aux impératifs sociaux et environnementaux auxquels est confrontée la société française ainsi que son industrie. En effet, nous pensons que, plutôt que d’opposer un « ancien » et un « nouveau monde » des mobilités automobiles, il est aujourd’hui indispensable d’identifier et de développer des « ponts » entre l’industrie automobile et les nouveaux services de mobilité aujourd’hui en pleine expansion.

Ce rapport propose d’évaluer les potentialités d’une telle hypothèse et d’identifier des voies de transition vers une massification des nouveaux usages automobiles.
Original Language: 
Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Abstract in English: 
Usage rather than ownership of vehicles is driving the expansion of car sharing and carpooling, among other new uses. Driven by the digital revolution, these new services are expected to radically transform how we get around, and will change the relationship between the various stakeholders – both newcomers and long-standing players – that contribute to its implementation.

This forward-looking analysis uses a variety of scenarios to examine the economic and environmental gains if such services expand and gain traction across the country. Such a shift would mean an optimised fleet of automobiles that are used more intensively and renewed more often. The study's recommendations call for expanded synergies between stakeholders, with possible public-sector support.

The methodology used, the results obtained and the recommendations are the sole responsibility of the authors of the study, and do not represent the views of the Pipame, the DGE or the other sponsors.
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269
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The Global Risks Report 2017

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Abstract in English: 
The Global Risks Report 2017 features perspectives from nearly 750 experts on the perceived impact and likelihood of 30 prevalent global risks as well as 13 underlying trends that could amplify them or alter the interconnections between them over a 10-year timeframe.
2016 saw a crystallization of political risks that have led to the election of populist leaders, a loss of faith in institutions and increased strain on international cooperation. We should not be surprised by this: for the past decade, the Global Risks Report has been drawing attention to persistent economic, social and political factors that have been shaping our risks landscape.
This year’s report will examine the five greatest priorities facing the world in 2017, their interconnections and the actions necessary to avoid their harshest fall-out.
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78
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Foresight Africa 2017

Author: 
Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Abstract in English: 
The world is facing a major shift in demographics. In fact, by 2050, Africa will be home to a billion young people. With so many of the world’s youth concentrated in Africa, countries have the advantage of large working-age populations, and could be looking to capitalize on a “demographic dividend.”

But the economic contribution of young people will depend on the skills they possess, placing a premium on education. Unfortunately, many countries in Africa are struggling to educate their current youth, and projections in coming decades predict millions more will be left behind. According to the latest UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report, based on current trends, sub-Saharan Africa will not achieve universal secondary school completion until after 2080. On top of the issue of schooling completion, millions of young people who do complete school still lack even basic literacy and numeracy skills, and recent estimates from the Education Commission find that more than half the world’s youth in 2030 will not meet even low levels of proficiency.
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112
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Global Trendometer - Essays on medium and long-term global trends

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Abstract in English: 
The Global Trendometer takes a close look at specialist analysis from a variety of reputable sources. Robust analysis, both of empirical data and of the historical experience, is central to the search for effective responses to the multiple challenges that are likely to face Europe in coming decades. This new publication does not offer recommendations, but it does seek to draw attention to relevant studies and to prompt reflection on how Europe can address future challenges.
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52
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The World Social Science Report 2016: Challenging Inequalities – Pathways to a Just World

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Abstract in English: 
Never before has inequality been so high on the agenda of policy-makers worldwide, or such a hot topic for social science research. More journal articles are being published on the topic of inequality and social justice today than ever before.
This is the Summary of the 2016 World Social Science Report. It draws on the insights of over 100 social scientists and other thought leaders from all over the world, across various disciplines, to emphasize transformative responses to inequality at all levels, from the grass-roots to global governance.
It concludes that:
- unchecked inequality could jeopardize the sustainability of economies, societies and communities;
- inequalities should not just be understood and tackled in terms of income and wealth: they are economic, political, social, cultural, environmental, spatial and knowledge-based;
- the links and intersections between inequalities need to be better understood to create fairer societies;
- a step change towards a research agenda that is interdisciplinary, multiscale and globally inclusive is needed to inform pathways toward greater equality.

In short, too many countries are investing too little in researching the long-term impact of inequality on the sustainability of their economies, societies and communities. Unless we address this urgently, inequalities will make the cross-cutting ambition of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to ‘leave no one behind’ by 2030 an empty slogan.

The World Social Science Report 2016 was prepared by the International Social Science Council (ISSC) and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), and is co-published with UNESCO.
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361
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