Editorial - August/September 2018

The cover feature of our April/May edition assessed the parlous state of globalisation. A heady combination of dramatic events suggest it’s either on the way out or in need of a major overhaul; a reboot for the digital age, perhaps. The near collapse of the financial system in 2008 could have been enough, in itself, to halt globalisation in its tracks. The subsequent crisis of democracy and emergence of inward looking nationalist leaders, particularly in America, could be pointed to as further evidence of globalisation’s potentially terminal decline. The ongoing struggle to keep the European project on track – with Brexit just one prominent indication of the scale of the challenge – forms another significant aspect of a less than rosy picture.

As well as ongoing analysis of all such developments, Global Insight has regularly covered the shift in the geo-economic balance of power that’s taken place as these events have unfolded. The cover of our June 2011 edition, for example, suggested this might be the Chinese century – with the feature ‘Riches and responsibility’ exploring China’s growing leadership role in the world. More recently, coverage of China’s increasingly prominent role in global affairs has focused on the multi-trillion dollar Belt and Road initiative to facilitate trade across Africa, Asia and previously underdeveloped parts of Europe.

While World Bank figures confirm China is likely to continue as a key driver of the world economy, India is now being highlighted as an even more exciting growth story. GDP is projected to increase by at least seven per cent for each of the next three years, outstripping China (though admittedly from a lower base). In this edition, we have coverage of both the smart cities initiative and the boom in M&A activity. We take an in-depth look at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s immense project as he’s set about – as he put it at Davos earlier this year – ‘removing the red tape and laying the red carpet’. We hope you enjoy all the coverage in this edition and the related Global Insight content (as well as in audio and film) online.