China’s coronavirus outbreak–which given its severity and unpredictability should be considered a Black Swan event–is already revealing stark differences in the way schools, universities and workplaces are responding and the extent to which they are prepared for operational continuity and future growth.  In fact, the crisis response is making the “future of learning and work” […]

As the US trade and technology war with China staggers on, the 2019-nCoV virus shuts down schools, and more people begin to question the sustainability of global integration, I looked at a few charts in search of a reality check. Here’s what I found. First, the overall trend in outbound foreign direct investment (FDI) shows […]

For many US and European companies and investors focused developing technologies and training for the future workforce, staying at home seems like a sensible option.  After all, the US and Europe both have thriving, sophisticated education and labor markets within a supportive venture capital and private equity environment.  But in a world where rising working-age […]

Is education an instrument of China’s soft power?  If so, how can it be measured? After some review, there are four areas which I think warrant a deeper dive: Government-led efforts through Confucius Institutes University branch campuses set up offshore Internationally mobile tertiary students in universities around the world Chinese private investment into schools, education […]

What does the concept of a jobless future–a world awash with robots and AI–mean for emerging markets that have yet to reach economic maturity?  How will educational achievement in these countries help to shape this future of work? What new business models might emerge to get people employed? These questions are impossible to answer today, […]

Disconnected or idle youth as measured by NEET rates (defined as 18-24 year olds neither in employment nor education or training) can be a major determinant of economic stagnation, social unrest and investment risk.  Unsurprisingly, the worst performers (based on OECD data) are often those with low educational attainment and a high degree of gender […]