The New Economic Order

By: /
9 November, 2012
By: Jennifer Jeffs

Past President of the Canadian International Council (CIC).

Earlier this month, we had the privilege of hosting Christine Lagarde on the occasion of the 2012 Globalist of the Year Gala dinner in Toronto. In her keynote speech, Mme. Lagarde discussed the economic crisis, underlining the susceptibility of domestic economies to slowdowns in other national jurisdictions. The growth trajectories of advanced economies are now just as dependent on those of emerging economies – if not more so – as the latter traditionally have been on the former.

This weekend’s CIGI conference, ‘5 Years After the Fall’, will focus on the future of a post-crisis economic system, where leadership is shifting from the advanced to the emerging economies, particularly from the U.S. to China. Chinese economic growth (but not in all sectors) is slowing faster than expected, however. The end of double-digit economic growth will have far-reaching effects on Chinese leadership and Chinese society, and could impact China’s capacity to fill global governance gaps created by the economic crisis. Carlton University’s Jeremy Paltiel, in a fascinating article for OpenCanada.org and the Asia Pacific Foundation, analyzes some of the challenges the economic slowdown presents to the ‘fifth generation’ of Chinese leaders. The CIC also recently hosted a conversation on the Communist Party’s leadership transition.

Beyond China, the CIGI conference will address the challenge of decreasing cooperation among states in the midst of the slowdown, and a corresponding decline in the capacity of any one state to lead. CIGI will be broadcasting sessions from the conference via webcast, which will feature some of the world’s leading experts on global finance in discussions on the legacy of the financial crisis.

Before you click away, we’d like to ask you for a favour … 

 

Journalism in Canada has suffered a devastating decline over the last two decades. Dozens of newspapers and outlets have shuttered. Remaining newsrooms are smaller. Nowhere is this erosion more acute than in the coverage of foreign policy and international news. It’s expensive, and Canadians, oceans away from most international upheavals, pay the outside world comparatively little attention.

At Open Canada, we believe this must change. If anything, the pandemic has taught us we can’t afford to ignore the changing world. What’s more, we believe, most Canadians don’t want to. Many of us, after all, come from somewhere else and have connections that reach around the world.

Our mission is to build a conversation that involves everyone — not just politicians, academics and policy makers. We need your help to do so. Your support helps us find stories and pay writers to tell them. It helps us grow that conversation. It helps us encourage more Canadians to play an active role in shaping our country’s place in the world.

Become a Supporter