Economic globalisation has created winners and losers: Social inequality and economic nationalism are on the rise in most countries around the world. In addition, the global economy has been massively shaken by the ongoing war in Ukraine since the beginning of 2022. Inflation is rising worldwide, food insecurity and energy shortages are increasing. For many countries, especially those already affected by poverty, violence and political instability, the economic situation is becoming increasingly precarious. This is compounded by falling wages and the challenges posed by the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the face of intensifying systemic competition, the international community is far from being able to find solutions together. Multilateral cooperation is declining, global supply chains are being disrupted and diverted. Too often, the weakest along these global supply chains are neglected. But we do not yet see an end to globalisation. As the Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt Foundation (BKHS), we are therefore calling for globalisation to be made more socially sustainable and fairer. But how can we achieve this? To get to the bottom of this question, we are dedicating our Helmut Schmidt Lecture 2023 and the third issue of our BKHS Magazine to the topic of "Remaking Globalisation!".
We couldn't think of a better speaker for the Helmut Schmidt Lecture 2023 than Professor Dr Moritz Schularick. He has been President of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW) since June 2023. He is dedicated to the complex relationship between the economy and the state, breaking down the traditional dogmas of the economy and looking for ways in which the state can actively develop a new, formative economic policy.
The IfW's mission - to understand and shape globalisation - was not only a central goal for Helmut Schmidt, who was awarded the IfW's Global Economy Prize in 2007, but it also describes how the BKHS approaches the topic of globalisation as a think tank: "In view of today's polycrisis, we want to rethink the interplay between politics and the economy and reassess the role of the nation state in the national and international economy.
In the spirit of our namesake, on 4 December 2023 at the Museum of Communication in Berlin, we will bring together inspiring personalities who are committed to a better today and promoting an even better tomorrow. In addition to Professor Dr Moritz Schularick and our expert Dr Elisabeth Winter, who is responsible for our "Global Markets and Social Justice" programme area, the audience will also have their say at the Lecture 2023. Their expertise, impressions and thoughts will be incorporated into the discourse in small moderated discussion rounds following the lecture and panel discussion. At the end of the evening, which will end with music at the get-together, there will be concrete recommendations for action to reshape globalisation in line with the motto of the lecture.