Panel 7 - ECO - SDG8/10 A Futuristic Vision of the V4: Catching Up With Globalization and Reducing Inequalities Mr. Balózs Dobos: Public Policy Analyst and Advisor at Századvég Institute Dr. Andrew Cartwright: Co-Director, School of Public Policy at CEU Dr. Tamás Pesuth: Economist and Finance Analyst, Corvinus University Ms. Nikolett Garai: Research Fellow, Institute of Foreign Affairs and Trade (HU) Moderated by Mr. Dominik Porvaznik: V4SDG - Visegrad for Sustainability Our world is on the path to total globalisation, but this process creates losers as much as winners. This panel has been looking at the challenges and inequalities created by international integration and the advancement of technology. Several issues have been explored by our panellists, including the global urban-rural divide and asymmetry of opportunities, the impact of emerging economies on V4 countries, as well as matters of identity-loss arising from globalisation. All in all, speakers have agreed that governments must act to mitigate inequalities, but with the inclusion of actors and institutions that have a clearer view on local and sectoral circumstances. Speakers have also discussed how artificial Intelligence and automation are looked upon as globally disruptive technologies threatening with the prospect of unemployment. Interestingly, in the V4 it may bring a solution to the problems of labour shortage, fuelled by the immigrationaverse policies of V4 governments. However, our countries are still not investing enough in education and R&D to facilitate a quick transition to high-value added economies, which would ensure competitiveness then. Thus, despite labour shortages, parallel unemployment may still be created by new technology increasing inequality, unless policies change.
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Ms. Nikolett Garai sharing her thoughts on globalisation Could the V4 emerge as a winner as automation displaces its workforce?