Forward Thinking

McKinsey Global Institute
  • 4.8 (29)
  • BUSINESS NEWS
Forward Thinking

Forward Thinking examines groundbreaking ways in which the world is evolving and how people and organizations can respond to changing demands and technologies. In each episode theorists, innovators, and business leaders discuss global trends—technology, artificial intelligence, globalization, urbanization, climate change, and more—with hosts Michael Chui and Janet Bush of the McKinsey Global Institute.

  1. 09/25/2024

    Is the world facing a state of permacrisis?

    Leading economists Mike Spence and Mohamed El-Erian talk about the “pretty complicated and disorienting environment” we face.  In this episode of the McKinsey Global Institute’s Forward thinking podcast, co-host Michael Chui talks with A. Michael Spence, dean emeritus of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Mohamed El-Erian, president of Queens’ College Cambridge and chief economic advisor at Allianz. Together with former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer and Prime Minister Gordon Brown, they have leveraged decades of experience to explore the question “Is the world in a state of permacrisis?”  In this podcast, the guests touch on the following:  •    How the New Zealand central bank came up with 2 percent as an arbitrary inflation target, which was then adopted by the central banks of major economies around the world. •    How the Queen of the United Kingdom asked a room full of economists why they hadn’t seen the Great Financial Crisis coming. •    How finance hijacked growth strategies, leading to 20 lost years of thinking about how to promote productivity and high, durable, inclusive growth.  See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

    49 min

  2. 09/03/2024

    Has the drive toward human development been thrown into reverse?

    The UNDP’s Pedro Conceição talks about today’s global gridlock, uncertainty complex, and a pervasive sense of disempowerment. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

    48 min

  3. 07/02/2024

    Unpacking the mysteries of productivity

    Leading economist Chad Syverson speculates about the ingredients in productivity’s secret sauce. In this episode of the McKinsey Global Institute’s Forward thinking podcast, co-host Janet Bush talks with Chad Syverson. Syverson is George C. Tiao Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. His work focuses on the interactions between firm structure, market structure, and productivity. In this podcast, he covers topics including the following:  Why productivity is important How the world economy is doing on productivity What major themes of our age, from the path to net zero to trade fragmentation and aging, could impact productivity The potential role of AI to change the game for productivity How productivity growth is diffused See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

    46 min

  4. 06/11/2024

    Delivering services to the public—digitally—with Jennifer Pahlka

    A former US deputy chief technology officer talks about how digitization can be used to create a government that works for the people. Jennifer Pahlka is the founder of Code for America, served as the United States government’s deputy chief technology officer, and is author of the book Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better. Jenn joins us to share her personal reflections of her time in government and the path forward. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

    50 min

  5. 04/15/2024

    What’s the future for cities in the postpandemic world?

    Co-host Janet Bush talks with Ed Glaeser, the Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics and the chairman of the Department of Economics at Harvard University. His latest book, coauthored with health economist David Cutler, is Survival of the city: The future of urban life in an age of isolation, written to make sense of what might be the impact of the pandemic on cities. They covers topics including: •    Has the pandemic changed cities temporarily or permanently?•    What does the hybrid building look like? •    Do developing world cities teach us something new? •    How can homelessness be tackled?  See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

    37 min

  6. 01/24/2024

    Forward Thinking on Europe’s existential crisis with Marco Buti

    Co-host Janet Bush talks with Marco Buti. Buti holds the Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa Chair in European Economic and Monetary Integration at the European University Institute. They cover topics including the following: The evolution of European policy coordination European competitiveness Whether Europe’s business model is sustainable The need of more speed among European companies in frontier technologies The importance of Europe’s capital markets union See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

    35 min

  7. 12/05/2023

    Forward Thinking on the tricky business of removing carbon from our world with Nan Ransohoff

    Co-host Michael Chui talks with Nan Ransohoff. Ransohoff is the head of climate at Stripe and leads Frontier, an advanced market commitment for carbon removal. She answers questions including: Is carbon removal a get out of jail free card for emitters? What are the most promising carbon removal technologies? Is it possible to scale up effective technologies quick enough? How much do costs need to come down before scaling is possible? What is an advanced market commitment? See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

    27 min

  8. 11/14/2023

    Forward Thinking on how geeks are changing the world with Andrew McAfee

    Co-host Michael Chui talks with Andy McAfee. McAfee is a principal research scientist at the MIT Sloan School of Management, co-founder and co-director of MIT’s initiative on the digital economy, and the inaugural visiting fellow at the Technology in Society organization at Google.  See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

    1 hr
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4.8
out of 5
29 Ratings

About

Forward Thinking examines groundbreaking ways in which the world is evolving and how people and organizations can respond to changing demands and technologies. In each episode theorists, innovators, and business leaders discuss global trends—technology, artificial intelligence, globalization, urbanization, climate change, and more—with hosts Michael Chui and Janet Bush of the McKinsey Global Institute.

Information

  • Creator
    McKinsey Global Institute
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2024
  • Episodes
    82
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 McKinsey Global Institute
  • Show Website
    Forward Thinking

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