On the surface, it looks like the world has never been more prosperous than it is today. In the past 50 years average per capita income has almost tripled and the global economy has expanded sixfold in terms of gross domestic product.
People around the world live longer and healthier lives, and billions have been lifted out of extreme poverty. Business has prospered and grown on the back of these economic successes.
This success though, is a veneer. And like all veneers it masks something less appealing. Many of the old drivers of growth are no longer sustainable, a host of global issues — from food security to unemployment to poverty and climate change — threaten our future stability, prosperity has not been fairly shared and inequality is still rife. Please click here to continue reading this article.