The World In 2020: Power, Culture and Prosperity: A Vision of the Future

by Hamish McRae

In The World in 2020 , acclaimed commentator and best-selling author Hamish McRae paints a vivid competitive landscape in which culture and values will be the new sources of advantage for the industrialized nations. In the year 2020, all having embraced market capitalism, the North American, European and East Asian countries will be engaged in fierce economic competition. With each nation increasingly able to imitate the others, innovations will cross borders within more days and weeks, removing technological prowess as a source of sustained advantage. McRae sees the "old motors for growth"—land, capital and natural resources—being replaced by more qualitative assets—quality, organization, motivation and self-discipline of the people. Everywhere, governments will take a less active role in the social and economic life of the nation. In such a world, the best predictor of success will be how a nation strikes a proper balance between creativity and intellect on the one hand, and social responsibility on the other. Thus the leading world economic powers of the next generation are just as likely to include China and Australia as the United States and Japan.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Politics

Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

2020 is just 3 years away. But this book published in 1992, give a somewhat accurate prediction of the current economy situation especially regarding Asia where the quest for power will be dominated by China.

[Jim Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read McRae's futuristic view of the world shortly after it was published. At that time, I was astounded by the insights and wisdom of the author relative especially to the potential future of higher education as it moved more and more to an on-line option. This is one of those books that I have something underlined on virtually every page. It's so frustrating, because it is easier to find a few pithy comments and then use those in select ways as part of my lectures, conference presentations, or learning seminars. But there is just too much of import in this book to settle for even a few quotes. But a couple of my most-used quotes should suffice:
"In education, the more skilled the teacher the better the performance of the taught. Yet the education industry everywhere is using the same techniques that were common 150 years ago" (p. 15). "At one extreme there is a society where people sit in rows and do what they are told. At the other there is one where everybody does their own thing., The key to economic success in the future will be to find a way of balancing the two groups responsibility and individual creativity." (p. 19).

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

During the last month of this crazy, infected year, I decided to read this book, written in the 90's as a futurist speculation about where the world might be in 2020. I figured it sounded interested enough in and of itself, and also that each year succeeding this one that I didn't read it, I would have less and less interest in doing so. Though saying that, much of what McRae deals with is all broadly based, and heavily weighted by conjecture and the evidence of the at which it was written - 1994. Much of what it deals with need not be rendered irrelevant once this year has passed as much of it that may come to eventuality might happen afterwards.

Anyway, as a book that focusses largely on the economic side of things - I think it oversells its apparent focus on social changes, which it only explores to a smaller extent - this was a surprisingly enjoyable book, which I found very accessible for someone who isn't by nature into economics and the like. I did have a good time reading this book and much of it was very interesting, even if it often did not hit the mark. I cannot and would not wish to try and point out everything it got remarkably correct or drastically wrong, but I often got a kick out of McRae's startling predictions regarding China's (admittedly inevitable) rise and his vaguely unsettling suspicions that something catastrophic might come out of China around the year in question. At the same time, he was way off in predicting, for example, that North and South Korea would be well beyond unification by this point. Fucking, I wish.

All in all, this was a good, highly readable and very accessible book. A very appropriate one to end the year with. Here's to 2021 - as I write, just five minutes away ...

[SAJID KHAN · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good expectations for 2020

[Julius · Rating 5 out of 5]

2020? I was there. No flying cars yet but this isn’t the type of starry eyed futurism that predicts flying cars and the eradication of all diseases. It’s sober, clearly presented reasoning. There were many times reading this book that I felt the need to share how on the money the author predicted certain things. It’s fun to see what was right or wrong, but the real value is in the broad overview of the workings of the world. Geography, culture, education, technology, etc. all interact in complex ways to create the works we live in. Understanding a bit more about this was greatly rewarding. When I finished this book I immediately googled if the author had a new book and ordered his latest one which covers the works in 2050.

[Robert Narojek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read it back in 1997 and it was extremely interesting. Now I decided to read it again as we approach what McRae predicted. Missed few and spot on few points.