At the 2017 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF’17), the Valdai Discussion Club and Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) will unveil their joint project – the Future Readiness Index. It aims to assess the competitive position of states amid the changing landscape of the economy, society, technology and culture in the next 20 years against a set of criteria developed for the index.
An international pool of experts will analyse the readiness of states to possible revolutionary changes in all areas of human life in the coming 15–20 years. This pool is made up of sociologists, advanced technology professionals, economists, political scientists and international relations experts. The project will set up an international think tank to conduct reviews on a regular basis.
The assessment is based on criteria in 10 key areas:
- Economy (national wealth, high productivity of labour, sustainable economic growth),
- International power (international status, country weight, global competitiveness),
- Quality of life (healthy life expectancy, satisfaction with life, financial well-being),
- Education (lifelong learning, tertiary education, talent management),
- Science (R&D policy priority, scientific breakthoughts, contribution to global science),
- Technologies (multifunctional digital technologies, advanced technologies, technological complexity),
- Resources and environment (sustainable use of resources, total waste recycling, key resources availability),
- Culture and communications (creative economy, cultural products visibility, communication modes availability),
- Governance (bureaucracy effectiveness, computerisation of public services, strong institutions),
- State capacity (army firepower, police firepower, safety perception).
The first rating will evaluate 50 countries.
The general trends identified by the Future Readiness Index were presented during The State in the Middle of the 21st Century: What are the Strengths? panel discussion at the Gaidar Forum in Moscow in January 2017.
- Citizenship will become flexible in the future. Throughout their lives, people will be able to work in several geographies. Governments will start competing for human capital by ensuring comfortable living conditions.
- The healthcare and education spending will increase.
- The government will play a larger part in all spheres of human life, which will exacerbate the conflict between the state and the individual.
A round table discussion at the SPIEF’17 will feature the preliminary results of a pilot research and an insight into the relevance of the criteria used.