Globalism Versus Nativism: How to Bridge the Digital Divide

Book excerpt: In the first part of the book, a conversation with a resurrected Milton Friedman discusses some of the main political, economic and technological developments in the US and around the world from September of 2016 until the present in a multi-country light-hearted context. We also discuss the growing economic divide between those with the right degrees and skills to prosper in the Digital Economy, and those without the right qualifications. The winners of globalization favor immigration and free trade, while those who feel left behind and are struggling have turned against globalization, free trade and immigration. This divide will only grow as robots, Artificial Intelligence and technology destroy blue-collar as well as white-collar jobs. Society needs to come up with the right policies to adress this divide. In the second half of the book, 24 leading professionals -- renown professors, business executives, high-ranking officials at chambers of commerce -- from the top 25 economies in the world by volumne of GDP offer specific ideas to tackle the underlying causes of populism.