As a post-industrial society, Ms. Chang went on, “It’s not just the future of how systems might work mechanically. What gets me energized is a future social system that ingests the chaos we see today and codifies its inherent value into a set of more harmonious social/cultural norms. It’s not enough to ask whether there is a different flavor of Capitalism. We ought to think bigger and imagine the Future of Capitalism to be an entirely new paradigm. This might not be an exercise of radical invention, but rather a process of synthesis. I have no idea what it is really, but I do think we need to go beyond adding a modifier in front of Capitalism.”
Open sharing is a critical piece of the spirit in which we approach innovation and impact at THNK, as is the recognition that each report out is celebrating a milestone in a much longer journey. Our 10-year investigation of the Future of Capitalism picks up again at the end of January with our next cohort, returning to solution spaces that demand more examination and employing new lenses offering different perspectives. Digital currencies. Climate finance and resilience. So-called sharing economies. And real prosperity and upward mobility for all.
So, it is with great pride that we share the first hints resulting from the Future of Capitalism Grand Challenge in Vancouver. We know that these are enormous issues. And in order to see real change, we must engage the entire spectrum of stakeholders in our society to not only spread good ideas but also take action. We must become positive “nodes of contagion” as our Forum Guest, Eric Liu, so beautifully suggested.
Diving into the findings in this report is a first step. Enjoy!