Future Preparedness

The World Economic Forum proposes a 'Future Preparedness Framework' to move policy-makers beyond short-term planning cycles. The framework assesses country performance across four dimensions: Fourth Industrial Revolution readiness, economic readiness, security, and social cohesion. It utilizes a mix of traditional statistical data, qualitative surveys, and new big data sources to measure a country's capacity to manage long-term risks and leverage future trends.

• The Future Preparedness Framework is structured around four main dimensions: Fourth Industrial Revolution readiness, economic readiness, security, and social cohesion, which together encompass nine categories.
• Fourth Industrial Revolution readiness is measured through two categories: digital readiness, which assesses the availability and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), and innovation, which looks at the capacity to innovate and the ecosystem for entrepreneurship.
• Economic readiness focuses on long-term performance through investments in human capital (education and health), infrastructure, and economic agility, which measures how responsive the business environment is to change.
• The security dimension evaluates both physical security, such as the minimization of war and interpersonal violence, and environmental security, which assesses sustainable resource use and climate change adaptation measures.
• Social cohesion is assessed via intergenerational balance, which addresses demographic risks and equality of opportunity for youth, and social fabric, which covers social capital and the existence of a shared long-term vision.
• The framework prioritizes forward-looking indicators and 'flow' measures over 'stock' to assess a country's active efforts to prepare for the future rather than just its current state.
• Data for the framework is drawn from traditional statistics (IMF, WHO, UNESCO, OECD), qualitative surveys (World Economic Forum's Executive Opinion Survey, World Value Survey), and new data types including satellite imagery and internet usage data.
• The document identifies 12 key emerging technologies driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including artificial intelligence and robotics, blockchain, and geoengineering.

APA

World Economic Forum (2017). Future Preparedness. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_Preparedness_Conceptual_Framework_Measuring_Country_Performance_White_Paper_2017.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Future Preparedness. 2017. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_Preparedness_Conceptual_Framework_Measuring_Country_Performance_White_Paper_2017.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Future Preparedness |date=January 2017 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_Preparedness_Conceptual_Framework_Measuring_Country_Performance_White_Paper_2017.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2017future, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Future Preparedness}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2017}, month = jan, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_Preparedness_Conceptual_Framework_Measuring_Country_Performance_White_Paper_2017.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }