News

The Foresight Centre is conducting a study on the impact of COVID-19. The aim of the study is to provide assessment of the upcoming changes in economy, considering the risks and opportunities.

Within the framework of the recently competed study project, the Foresight Centre analysed the significance of the changes in global forces for Estonia in such strategic fields like energy, digital infrastructure and technology. As a result of the research, the Centre sets out four possible development scenarios together with decision points and choices.

The 2020s and 2030s will probably be the two most dynamic decades in human history, as a broad suite of technologies mature and combine to redefine the fundamental organizing principles of the economy.

Maritime transport has been called the blood circulation of global economy – nine-tenths of the goods traded around the world are shipped by sea, and the shipping volumes grow along with the economic growth. What does future hold for shipping over the next decades, in view of the anticipated long-term developments in maritime economy, and the emerging risks?

The Economic Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu approved the amendment to the Foresight Centre action plan, adding an urgent special foresight project concerning the virus crisis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to disrupt energy systems around the world. While much has been said and written about the immediate to medium-term impacts from the virus, this webinar will take on the daunting task of discussing the energy outlook for 2040 and beyond.

Large Chinese and US digital platforms are shaping the global technological frontiers. The American technological hegemony is increasingly challenged by China. Subsequently, technology issues have taken a central role in the disputes between China and the United States.

The current pandemic and economic crisis have significantly increased uncertainty and complexity in understanding the shifts in global balance of power. Some of the key drivers projected by different pre-crisis foresight scenarios are reinforced while others take a back seat. The webinar will explore alternative scenarios on the global balance of power and the distributional impact of current pandemic.

The Coronavirus epidemic is a catalyst that amplifies several long-term trends. About a year ago, I called attention to the fact that global economy is regionalising: in the future, an increasing part of international trade will take place within regional blocks, not between them. Long supply chains that stretch across the world, and the concentration of certain stages of production into certain countries – most notably, of course, China – do indeed help to enhance efficiency, but also increase the risks.

The Foresight Centre is launching a new monitoring project to study the impact of the changing global forces on Estonia’s development. The study will result in key options and decision-making points.