White Paper Readiness for the Future of Production: Country Profiles

The World Economic Forum, in collaboration with A.T. Kearney, has developed a diagnostic tool to help governments and businesses identify priorities for industrial strategy in the face of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The framework evaluates country readiness based on the current structure of production and consumption, alongside five key drivers: innovation and technology, human capital and skills, regulation and governance, natural resources and sustainability, and global economy, trade and investment. The tool aims to facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogue and categorize countries into four archetypes—fast movers, global leaders, followers, and at-risk economies—to help them monitor progress and implement productive development policies.

• The framework identifies five critical drivers that enable firms and countries to successfully transform production systems and incorporate new technologies: innovation and technology, human capital and skills, regulation and governance, sustainability and natural resources, and global trade and investment.
• The tool categorizes countries into four distinct archetypes based on their current production structure and performance across the five drivers: 'global leaders' (strong in both), 'fast movers' (nascent structure but strong drivers), 'followers' (weak in both), and 'at-risk economies' (strong current structure but falling behind on transformation).
• The 'Innovation and technology' driver is measured through research intensity, industry activity, ICT availability and usage, and the sophistication of the manufacturing sector, including the uptake of technologies like artificial intelligence and 3D printing.
• The 'Human capital and skills' driver emphasizes the need for an agile workforce and is measured by education outcomes, inclusivity, labour force skills, and migration patterns.
• The 'Regulation and governance' driver assesses whether a country's legal and institutional frameworks facilitate or impede the adoption of emerging technologies, focusing on institutional quality, digital security, and trade barriers.
• The 'Natural resources and sustainability' driver posits that environmental sustainability will become a competitive advantage, measuring energy inputs, sustainable practices, and air, climate, and water quality.
• The 'Global economy, trade and investment' driver focuses on the role of open trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) in providing capital and knowledge transfer necessary for the future of manufacturing.
• The framework incorporates the 'structure of production and consumption' as a baseline, utilizing metrics such as economic complexity, participation in global value chains, and consumer trends to determine how a country's current capabilities condition the effect of the five drivers.
• The document argues for a shift toward 'modern industrial strategy' or 'productive development policies' to avoid the pitfalls of old industrial policies, such as political capture and rent-seeking, while addressing market and coordination failures.

APA

World Economic Forum (2017). White Paper Readiness for the Future of Production: Country Profiles. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_White_Paper_Readiness_Future_Production_.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. White Paper Readiness for the Future of Production: Country Profiles. 2017. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_White_Paper_Readiness_Future_Production_.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=White Paper Readiness for the Future of Production: Country Profiles |date=March 2017 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_White_Paper_Readiness_Future_Production_.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2017white, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{White Paper Readiness for the Future of Production: Country Profiles}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2017}, month = mar, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_White_Paper_Readiness_Future_Production_.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }