Over the past six weeks the Occupy Wall Street movement has been a voice of anger, a widespread frustration with unemployment, lack of opportunity and rising debt. While many place blame on big corporations and unchecked capitalism, the larger message from the protesters is simply this: The world is unequal and unbalanced.
On October 26 and 27, thought leaders in the international finance community will address the world’s current economic situation at The Buttonwood Gathering: A World Unbalanced, hosted by The Economist and brought to you live on FORA.tv.
Solving this imbalance is daunting to say the least. While countries such as the United States and Japan still drive the world economy through technology, finance, and industry, they are also under the weight of enormous debt. In Europe, the possibility of Greece defaulting on its debt is sending shockwaves throughout the EU, with richer countries desperately trying to figure out how to help without sending their own economies into recession. Finally, emerging economies in China and Brazil are surging, but with rapid growth comes inflation and growing inequities within the lower, middle and upper classes.
In its attempt to unpack and understand this complex issue, The Buttonwood Gathering will examine several key questions: Is economic imbalance a problem that even needs to be solved; and if so, which countries will benefit from a rebalanced global economy and who will suffer? Can rich countries end their addiction to debt? In a world where natural resources are increasingly in demand, especially with emerging economies consuming energy at a rapid rate to fuel their growth, will the world order become a battle between the haves and the have-nots?
Watch The Buttonwood Gathering live and on demand at FORA.tv