Global supply chains, natural resources but also trade policies, sanctions and subsidies are central to understanding not only the global economy but also contemporary geopolitics. Economic means are increasingly used as tools in a geopolitical race among great powers. Nevertheless, these policies often rely on specific ideas of the future of technological innovation and often belittle economic interdependencies. For example, Moore’s law of computational power, while true in the past might not be useful for predicting the future rate of innovation of computer chips and thus lead to skewed ideas of future supply and demand. The role of sustainable energy is another factor complicating the picture, as the energy consumption of advanced digital technology poses a bigger and bigger problem. Europe is struggling to find its place in this world, trying to find its role as the protector of citizens’ rights while at the same time increasing its ability for ground-breaking innovation. This panel will discuss the current geoeconomic challenges from a comprehensive lens acknowledging the multiple layers of innovation, sustainability, politics and the global economy which need to be considered. The panel will discuss questions such as: What will be the future relationship between global geopolitics and the digital economy? How can Europe find its role in the ongoing subsidy race with China and the US? What role will values such as sustainability, security or democracy play?
- Linda Monsees
- Nico Lange
- Tomáš Petříček