Governments need to plan, think and act differently, in some cases drastically, if they are to be prepared for the global megatrends exerting a huge strain on the world’s resources and economic capacity, according to Future State 2030, a global report by KPMG International.
The Future State 2030 report, developed in partnership with the Mowat Centre at the School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Toronto, details nine “megatrends” facing governments at all levels around the world and assesses policy and strategic actions governments need to take beginning today to be successful in the future.
The megatrends encompass some of the world’s most critical challenges, including:
- Resource scarcity, with a 50 percent increase in global food supply, and a 40 percent increase in water needed to meet demand in 2030.
- A tidal wave of young people entering the labor force in developing economies, with growing strain of rapidly aging populations in most developed countries.
- An expanding and more technology adept and connected middle class exerting greater demands on government in the face of rising public debt.
- Economies becoming increasingly interconnected and interdependent
“Understandably, governments have been focused on the short-term due to multiple factors, including the global financial crisis and its aftermath,” said Nick Chism, Global Head of Government & Infrastructure, KPMG International. “However, we are now at a critical juncture for governments to take a longer view of accelerating social and environmental challenges. Without significant changes, the impact of these nine megatrends will far outstrip governments’ ability to meet the needs and demands of stakeholders in the next 10 to 20 years.”
To deliver sustainable programs in an environment facing a string of sweeping changes, governments will need to take a hard look at their own skills and capabilities, including risk assessment and change management, stakeholder engagement, and evolving their international awareness, all with a longer-term planning horizon.
“Governments are faced with a huge challenge: to continue, as a matter of urgency, to deliver substantial, strategic programs in an operating environment characterized by tighter fiscal situations and heightened demands and scrutiny from more engaged, connected citizens,” says Daniela Nemoianu, Executive Partner KPMG in Romania. “By 2030, the combined pressures of global population growth, greater consumption by an expanding middle class and climate change will put an enormous strain on food and water supplies. This is potentially the most devastating of all of the megatrends, and Romania needs to become aware of the far reaching implications of a competitive, protective and sustainable approach,” added Nemoianu
As Serban Toader, Senior Partner KPMG Romania, says: ““This is the moment to encourage a focus on entrepreneurship. Romanian entrepreneurs and the authorities alike need to look to the future, innovate, and pursue their growth ambitions. We offer Romanian business leaders the confidence to progress through a still difficult environment and this research clearly projects a challenging future. Governments and entrepreneurs can choose either to stay on course and try to deliver on core responsibilities, or they can adapt and adjust to the new operating reality that is emerging as a result of the nine megatrends.”
The Future State 2030 report is available at kpmg.com/futurestate.
About the research
KPMG International engaged the Mowat Centre at the School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Toronto, to independently conduct the Future State 2030 research which identifies the megatrends projected to have significant impacts on governments around the world through to 2030. To identify and refine these trends and their impacts, The Mowat Centre used a wide variety of projections from respected academic and international sources, supported by a series of interviews with experts from different regions and sectors around the world. In response to these trends, KPMG has outlined implications and recommendations specific to governments.
About KPMG
KPMG is a global network of professional firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. We operate in 156 countries and have 152,000 people working in member firms around the world. The independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”), a Swiss entity. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such.
KPMG in Romania and Moldova operates from six offices located in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Constanta, Iasi, Timisoara and Chişinău. We currently employ 700 partners and staff; Romanians and Moldovans as well as expatriates.
Future state 2030: Global megatrends demand new strategies and skills from governments, KPMG says
Governments need to plan, think and act differently, in some cases drastically, if they are to be prepared for the global megatrends exerting a huge strain on the world’s resources and economic capacity, according to Future State 2030, a global report by KPMG International.
The Future State 2030 report, developed in partnership with the Mowat Centre at the School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Toronto, details nine “megatrends” facing governments at all levels around the world and assesses policy and strategic actions governments need to take beginning today to be successful in the future.
The megatrends encompass some of the world’s most critical challenges, including:
- Resource scarcity, with a 50 percent increase in global food supply, and a 40 percent increase in water needed to meet demand in 2030.
- A tidal wave of young people entering the labor force in developing economies, with growing strain of rapidly aging populations in most developed countries.
- An expanding and more technology adept and connected middle class exerting greater demands on government in the face of rising public debt.
- Economies becoming increasingly interconnected and interdependent
“Understandably, governments have been focused on the short-term due to multiple factors, including the global financial crisis and its aftermath,” said Nick Chism, Global Head of Government & Infrastructure, KPMG International. “However, we are now at a critical juncture for governments to take a longer view of accelerating social and environmental challenges. Without significant changes, the impact of these nine megatrends will far outstrip governments’ ability to meet the needs and demands of stakeholders in the next 10 to 20 years.”
To deliver sustainable programs in an environment facing a string of sweeping changes, governments will need to take a hard look at their own skills and capabilities, including risk assessment and change management, stakeholder engagement, and evolving their international awareness, all with a longer-term planning horizon.
“Governments are faced with a huge challenge: to continue, as a matter of urgency, to deliver substantial, strategic programs in an operating environment characterized by tighter fiscal situations and heightened demands and scrutiny from more engaged, connected citizens,” says Daniela Nemoianu, Executive Partner KPMG in Romania. “By 2030, the combined pressures of global population growth, greater consumption by an expanding middle class and climate change will put an enormous strain on food and water supplies. This is potentially the most devastating of all of the megatrends, and Romania needs to become aware of the far reaching implications of a competitive, protective and sustainable approach,” added Nemoianu
As Serban Toader, Senior Partner KPMG Romania, says: ““This is the moment to encourage a focus on entrepreneurship. Romanian entrepreneurs and the authorities alike need to look to the future, innovate, and pursue their growth ambitions. We offer Romanian business leaders the confidence to progress through a still difficult environment and this research clearly projects a challenging future. Governments and entrepreneurs can choose either to stay on course and try to deliver on core responsibilities, or they can adapt and adjust to the new operating reality that is emerging as a result of the nine megatrends.”
The Future State 2030 report is available at kpmg.com/futurestate.
About the research
KPMG International engaged the Mowat Centre at the School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Toronto, to independently conduct the Future State 2030 research which identifies the megatrends projected to have significant impacts on governments around the world through to 2030. To identify and refine these trends and their impacts, The Mowat Centre used a wide variety of projections from respected academic and international sources, supported by a series of interviews with experts from different regions and sectors around the world. In response to these trends, KPMG has outlined implications and recommendations specific to governments.
About KPMG
KPMG is a global network of professional firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. We operate in 156 countries and have 152,000 people working in member firms around the world. The independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”), a Swiss entity. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such.
KPMG in Romania and Moldova operates from six offices located in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Constanta, Iasi, Timisoara and Chişinău. We currently employ 700 partners and staff; Romanians and Moldovans as well as expatriates.
