What we're reading at RSA Global

As the last days of summer are sadly drawing to a close, here is a look at some interesting and engaging articles from around the web that we have been reading over this past month.

On Education…

The Asia Society – Centre for Global Education recently released a research report – Advancing 21^st Century competencies in East Asian Education Systems - that analyses the education reform in primary and secondary schools systems in countries in Asia namely: Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore. The report focussed especially on the “integration of 21^st century competencies.”

How can a country become an education superpower? This Brookings article explains that being at the top of the international league tables is simply not enough and examines education system and policies in Canada to assess if it is indeed an education superpower.

Lastly, this Project Syndicate article states that in spite of the global commitment to the universal education via the Sustainable Development Goals, the real challenge to the international community lies in addressing the financing gap to adequately attain universal education.

On the Economy…

Why not also read the millionth article on our driverless future? This one is from the most recent issue of Foreign Affairs. It mentions both the inevitability of the technology but also the perceived winners and losers.

New research released from the Mc Kinsey Global Institute comes on the heels of the 10 years anniversary of the crash. Have we learnt anything? Have a look at the new MGI report “The new dynamics of financial globalization”  

According to Brookings, around 2 billion adults are excluded from the formal financial system. For more on this, the recently published 2017 Brookings Financial and Digital Inclusion Project (FDIP) report evaluates access to and usage of affordable financial services by underserved people across 26 countries.

On Public Services …

More than two months since the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, according to this NY Times article “Kensington and Chelsea is a microcosm of a divided Britain.”

With one on the highest rates of incarceration in the world, the US is in dire need of criminal justice reform. Recently, Brookings convened a forum to discuss this with key policy makers and stakeholders notably Governor of Commonwealth of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe delivered the key note address.

This Stanford Social Innovation Review article reviews the lessons learnt from collective impact using transnational collaborative activities and efforts. Have a look at the case studies from Israel, Mexico and Brazil.

On all things Brexit...

This week was the restart of negotiations between the UK and the European Union and recent reports indicate that no decisive progress has been made. A report entitled A Food Brexit : time to get real – A Brexit Briefing  released by the leading UK food policy specialists Professor Erik Millstone (University of Sussex), Professor Tim Lang (City, University of London) and Professor Terry Marsden (Cardiff University), concludes that “leaving the European Union poses serious risks to consumer interests, public health, businesses and workers in the food sector.”

Meanwhile although much has been said about the Brexit terms, little attention has been given to the UK’s Overseas Territories namely Anguilla which post Brexit will be confronted with a myriad of challenges which threaten the welfare of British nationals. For more on this, please read the report – Anguilla & Brexit, Britain’s forgotten EU Border.

On Global Challenges….

The ODI recently hosted the President of the Rockefeller Foundation and former Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, Rajiv Shah. During the event Rajiv addressed the major global challenges of our time – and his vision of how we can tackle them.