Discussion Paper
No. 2018-32 | April 12, 2018
Celine Herweijer, Benjamin Combes, Leo Johnson, Rob McCargow, Sahil Bhardwaj, Bridget Jackson and Pia Ramchandani
Enabling a sustainable Fourth Industrial Revolution: how G20 countries can create the conditions for emerging technologies to benefit people and the planet
(Published in Global Solutions Paper)

Abstract

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) offers huge potential to transform and realign our economies and societies. There is an increasing realization that the 4IR could also exacerbate problems for people and the planet. The G20 should champion a holistic approach to the 4IR that helps to address society’s environmental and social challenges. This means both mitigating unintended adverse consequences of change and maximizing positive social and environmental benefits. The G20 should explore, and recommend, governance structures and policy mechanisms to ensure governments have the agility and ability to keep pace with the 4IR, and harness innovations that promise the greatest social and environmental returns.

JEL Classification:

H11

Cite As

Celine Herweijer, Benjamin Combes, Leo Johnson, Rob McCargow, Sahil Bhardwaj, Bridget Jackson, and Pia Ramchandani (2018). Enabling a sustainable Fourth Industrial Revolution: how G20 countries can create the conditions for emerging technologies to benefit people and the planet. Economics Discussion Papers, No 2018-32, Kiel Institute for the World Economy. http://www.economics-ejournal.org/economics/discussionpapers/2018-32


Comments and Questions



Anonymous - Referee report
July 06, 2018 - 09:18
The authors should reconsider every recommendation they make and scrutinize whether the G20 is really the right institution to implement the recommendation. The G20 should exclusively deal with issues that require international cooperation, i.e. they are relevant whenever a problem has a cross-border nature or implications. In such cases, the G20 are a good body to initiate global cooperation. However, this is not the case for several of the recommendations made in the paper. The right addressee might hence be national governments. There is an exception though. When a problem is relevant for all countries, the G20 can commit to measures that enable peer-learning, or they can suggest general principles as a guide for national policy-makers.In my opinion, the following recommendations are G20 issues: 2, 3, 4 (general principles), 8 (partly), 9, and 12. Recommendation 11 could be taken on by the B20. Minor remark:Page 1, „As part of PwC’s overarching narrative for the T20, we discuss how three drivers of change – globalisation, technological advances and “financialisation” (…)”Please state the reference to PwC’s overarching narrative