Economy

The "Belt and Road" initiative is about economic influence and power, contended Bruno Maçães at the GDI Retail Summit. According to the politician, it helped create the landscape for China's e-commerce industry.

In times of government spending on an unimaginable scale, a discussion of the ideas of "Modern Monetary Theory" is more topical than ever. One of its probably most famous advocates is the US-American professor Stephanie Kelton. 

What does Covid-19 imply for retail? How do you build a successful urban farming company? And how do department stores hold their ground? Answers were provided by innovators and retail giants at the GDI Retail Summit from 10 to 11 September 2020. A summary.

"Belt and Road" visualises a new Chinese world order in which the US have disappeared, says Bruno Maçães, non-resident Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington and former Portuguese Secretary of State for European Affairs. Maçães will speak at the GDI Retail Summit on 11 September 2020.

US economist Stephanie Kelton dispels old myths: “Everything that we've been led to believe about deficits and the role of money and government spending in the economy is wrong, especially the fear that deficits will endanger our long-term prosperity.” The bestselling author of The Deficit Myth is convinced that deficits are not a bad thing. Here, in a video interview, and in a GDI livestream on 10 September 2020, Stephanie Kelton provides solutions for a post-Covid economy.

Across Europe, besides isolated regional lockdowns, easing measures are being introduced. The summer holidays are beginning. A lot of things seem to be "normalising". But there are many unknowns: How will the global recession affect us? Are the supply chains reorganising? Who are the winners and losers of the crisis?

"Social life, health data, consumption: Everything that can be measured will be measured," said Steffen Mau, Professor of Macrosociology, in the webinar "Quantification: Keeping Score in a Metric Society" with GDI researcher Jakub Samochowiec.

What trends have shaped China's e-commerce? And what does this mean for the future of retail in Europe? Jack Ma biographer Duncan Clark and GDI CEO David Bosshart gave insights in a webinar.

From a technical point of view, the future of work has long been here, writes GDI researcher Stefan Breit in an article. Due to the corona pandemic, the mind-shift is now following. Remote is becoming the standard, on-site the exception. An information graphic shows how and where we will work in the future.

The fight against Corona becomes a life with Corona. A new lifestyle is born. In order for concerts, trade fairs and football matches to take place again, organisers and industry must also take unpopular measures, writes GDI researcher Detlef Gürtler.