How Countries are Performing on the Road to Recovery

The Global Competitiveness Report

The combined health and economic shocks of 2020 have impacted the livelihoods of millions of households, disrupted business activities, and exposed the fault lines in today’s social protection and healthcare systems.

The crisis has also further accelerated the effects of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on trade, skills, digitization, competition, and employment, and highlighted the disconnect between our economic systems and societal resilience.

At this moment, it is crucial to not only reflect on how best to return to growth but also, how to build back better economies that improve outcomes for people and the planet.

This special edition of the Global Competitiveness Report provides the basis to support such deeper reflection, providing policymakers with priorities across three timeframes: those priorities that emerged from before the crisis, those priorities that are critical for the shorter term revival, and those priorities that are essential for long term transformation for better outcomes on shared prosperity and sustainability in the future.

Since 1979 the Global Competitiveness Report series has aimed to broaden the views of policymakers, businesses, and the public on looking beyond growth alone to enhance economic productivity and broader resilience.

In this Special Edition, at this turbulent time for the global economy, we pause comparative country rankings on the Global Competitiveness Index. Instead, we take a fundamental look at how economies should think about revival and transformation as they recover and redesign their economic systems to enhance human development and compatibility with the environment.

The World Economic Forum’s New Economy and Society Platform, the home of The Global Competitiveness Report, provides an ecosystem for such actors.

Over 200 leaders from government, business, and civil society work together to shape a new vision, design new standards, and drive scalable, collaborative action on four deeply interconnected areas:

1) economic growth, revival, and transformation;

2) work, wages, and job creation;

3) education, skills, and learning; and

4) diversity, inclusion, equity, and social justice.

By combining insight, standards, and action the Platform serves as an accelerator for leaders championing emerging solutions, pilots and partnerships.