Economic Systems

1
Economic Systems

• Foresight

2
Science and Technology

• It turns out... the world is made up of these
  tiny particles!
• Nanotechnology is opening the doors to unexplored
  economic opportunities

3
Science and Technology

• It also turns out... the universe is some 60
  billion years old!
• The universe has been expanding since it first
  exploded
• Who knew?
• Space travel is becoming a reality, complete with
  earthbound spin-offs

4
Science and Technology

• Automation means more work from fewer people
• greater productivity
• more capital intensive production
• lower cost of goods
• higher unemployment

5
Science and Technology

• Medical reseach moves at a quickening pace
• Physicians have increasing difficulty keeping
  abreast of prescription drugs
• Pharmaceudical companies are the new wizzards

6
Science and Technology

• The threat of avian flu, or another yet unknown
  virus, keeps scientists hard at work
• If an avian flu does become epidemic, there will
  be major losses of human life around the world
• This will have an important impact on the economy

7
Science and Technology

• The good news is -- we have a cure!
• The bad news is -- you cant afford it!

8
Science and Technology

• Any technology that promotes communication causes
  a leap forward in all areas of human activity
• Computer crime is an opportunity as well
• Identity theft is rampant

9
Industry

• Over the past 100 years the western economy has
  moved from agriculture to manufacturing to
  services to a knowledge-based economy
• Who is best equipped to lead this industry?

10
Industry

• The nuclear age raises many uncertainties
• A huge clean power source
• Radio-active waste is hard to dispose of

11
Industry

• The space age promises a new and endless frontier
  to be explored
• Space travel is the ultimate in potential
• It sparks the imagination --space tourism?
• We are at the early dawn of a new age

12
Globalization

• Because of automation companies can achieve
  untold efficiencies and economies of scale
• Increasing economies of scale means fewer
  companies control large production capacity and
  markets
• Trans-national companies rule the world!

13
Globalization

• Developing countries with lower salaries and
  higher unemployment are attracting production
  plants away from the West

14
Globalization

• For the past century the west has experimented
  with transfer of technology to the
  under-developed world
• We are still learning
• So are they

15
Globalization

• We have learned that technology must be
  appropriately scaled to the culture and climate
• Hi-tek is not always the best tek

16
Wealth

• The underground economy is doing very well
• Drug trade
• Sex trade
• Endangered wildlife and animal parts
• Human smuggling

17
Wealth

• The gap between rich and poor is growing.
• Poor population is growing quickly and dying
  early
• Child dies every 18 seconds, mostly in poor
  countries

18
Wealth

• 793 billionaires combined own 2.6 trillion
• There are more than 200,000 millionaires in
  Canada
• China has the worlds largest spread between rich
  and poor

19
Feeding the World

• We can feed the world with a budget just a
  fraction of the budget for the military
• But we have higher priorities!
• (How many wars are started over scarse food and
  resources?)

20
Feeding the World

• Large corporations are monopolizing the world of
  genetic engineering of food plants
• Patented genetically modified foods are here and
  now -- can you tell?

21
Feeding the World

• Many experts say there is more than enough food
  to go around
• The food does not get to the people who need it

22
Feeding the World

• European countries protect their family farms
  with subsidies, sustaining inefficient farm
  practices and keeping food prices artificially
  low
• Poorer food exporting countries are also effected

23
Feeding the World

• Clean safe drinking water is becoming in short
  supply even in the luckiest countries

24
Feeding the World

• Over-crowded living conditions and poverty may
  mean your food is not suitable for human
  consumption

25
Finance

• Millions of dollars are made trading currencies
  -- gambling on national economies and the value
  of their currencies

26
Finance

• Generally Canadians are not good at saving or
  investing. We like to buy things on credit.

27
Finance

• Personal, corporate, and government debt is out
  of control
• Time is money.
• We are living on borrowed time

28
Economic Systems

• Foresight