As 2008 fades into history, the global economy still looks frail. Monetary policy is still ‘unconventional’. China keeps threatening to have a debt crisis. Greece might not meet the terms of its bailout. The UK has voted for Brexit, resulting in years of uncertainty and potentially damaging economic and political consequences. Conventional politics is in turmoil in many countries, increasing the level of political risk. The banks might still be able to bring the economic system to its knees. And the capacity of global authorities to respond to a new crisis, from diseases such as Ebola or Zika to financial collapse, seems doubtful. Nor can governments manage to respond to the major mass migration of people currently under way. The social and economic consequences of climate change impacts are beginning to manifest themselves. What is the outlook for the global economy? Is there anything that can be done to avert the worst outcomes?

Diane Coyle stepped in to chair as Ed Conway was unable to get to Bristol in time on the night.

Photo of Linda Yueh.

In association with/

Panel

Jagjit Chadha is Director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.  He was previously professor of economics at the University of Kent and at Cambridge. He is a specialist adviser to the Treasury Committee. He has acted as an academic adviser to HMT, the Bank of England and many policy-making institutions around the world.

Michelle Cini is Professor of European Politics in the School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies at the University of Bristol. She has been Editor-in-Chief (with Amy Verdun) of JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, since July 2010. She has held a number of visiting positions, including at Nanging University, China (2008), and Harvard University (2014) and has published extensively in the field of European Union politics. She has a particular interest in EU policy-making, organisational reform and public ethics, with a focus on the role of the European Commission. Recent publications include the 5^th edition of the successful Oxford University Press text book on European Union Politics (with N. Perez-Solorzano Borragan, 2016).

Ed Conway is Economics Editor for Sky News and a columnist at The Times. He is the author of The Summit and 50 Economics Ideas. Follow him on Twitter: @edconwaysky

Swati Dhingra is Assistant Professor of Economics at LSE. She is co-author of the Life after Brexit reports of the Centre for Economic Performance. Her research interests are international economics, globalisation and industrial policy.

Linda Yueh is an economist, broadcaster and author. She is a fellow in economics at the University of Oxford, an adjunct professor of economics at London Business School and a visiting professor of economics at Peking University. She has been Chief Business Correspondent for BBC News and Economics Editor and anchor at Bloomberg TV in London. She is the author of a number of books, including China’s Growth and Enterprising China. Follow her on Twitter: @lindayueh