Cyprus LSE Alumni Association is organizing a conversation between LSE Director Dame Minouche Shafik and former Minister of Finance Michalis Sarris with the title: “Where is the world economy going and what can we do about it?”.
The world economy has gone through a synchronized slowdown and the recovery looks precarious. Trade and manufacturing have slowed dramatically while investment and productivity continue to disappoint. The US-China trade war threatens to divide the world along many dimensions – including finance and technology. Meanwhile, many countries have accumulated levels of debt not seen since the world wars enabled by very low interest rates. Inequality has gotten worse in many countries and technological changes and automation will change jobs and global supply chains in future. How can the world economy get onto a healthier growth path and what policies do we need to see for that to happen? And what would happen if we had a negative shock – would governments, central banks and the international organisations have the tools and political will to address it.