Frontier Dialogue #14-Luohan Academy

Frontier Dialogue #14

February 13, 2025

Globalization remains a driving force behind global economic growth, and it is entering a new stage marked by new driving forces and significant uncertainties. The shifting geopolitical landscape, especially with the upcoming agenda by the Second Trump Administration, is redefining the rules and boundaries of globalization, while the rise of multipolar growth marks a departure from traditional power dynamics.

At the same time, rapid advancements in digital technologies, particularly AI, are unlocking unprecedented opportunities for global connectivity and collaboration, as well as playing a key role in geopolitical shifts.

So, how will these factors shape the next wave of globalization? How will the rise of geopolitics redefine the logic and boundaries of globalization, and at what pace? What are the stakes for the multilateral trade system and global institutional arrangements? How will business strategies be adjusted in response to the evolving geopolitical landscape? And, back to the fundamentals, what are the implications for global inequality, labor skills and markets?

To this end, Luohan Academy organized Frontier Dialogue on Feb. 13th, 2025 to tackle these critical and pressing questions. This event will feature a distinguished panel, including two Nobel Laureates, alongside leading policy researchers, thought leaders and practitioners in the field, promising an engaging and insightful dialogue.

Panel I

Globalization's Evolving Characteristics

Speaker: Michael Spence (Stanford)

Mike was awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize in Economics. A central focus of his recent research is globalization, economic growth, and development. In 2023, Mike co-authored a new book titled Permacrisis: A Plan to Fix a Fractured World with Gordon Brown (former Prime Minister of the UK), Mohamed El-Erian (Cambridge), and Reid Lidow (Yale), offering profound reflections on the global economy, global governance and actionable strategies for the path forward.

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International Trade, the WTO, and the Key Challenges of Our Time

Speaker: Ralph Ossa (WTO/Zurich)

Ralph is currently Chief Economist and Director of the Economic Research and Statistics Division at the World Trade Organization, and the Kühne Foundation Professor of International Trade at the University of Zurich.

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US-China Power Competition and the New World Order

Speaker: Jiandong Ju (Tsinghua)

Jiandong Ju is the Unigroup Chair Professor at the PBC School of Finance in Tsinghua University, Chairman of the China Trade Research Group (CTRG), and Director of the Center for International Finance and Economic Research (CIFER). His research focuses on international trade, industrial policy, international finance, and industrial organization. He is the author of several books, including The Great Power Competition and the World Order Re-Architecture.

AI Breakthroughs and Globalization

Speaker: Long Chen (Luohan)

Long Chen is the President of Luohan Academy. He previously served as the CSO of Ant Group, Chairman of Alibaba's Sustainability Steering Committee, and President of Strategy Development for Alibaba Group. He eanred his Ph.D. in Finance from University of Toronto, and was a tenured professor at Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis. After returning to China in 2010, Chen became the Associate Dean and Professor of Finance at the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business and founded its DBA program.

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Why Haven't Global Markets Reduced Inequality?

Speaker: Eric Maskin (Havard)

Eric was awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Economics for laying the foundations of mechanism design theory. Eric's recent research focuses on election mechanisms and the critical intersections of inequality and globalization. In particular, he explores how targeted skill training can foster income growth among those at the lower end of the income distribution.

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