Global Risks 2017

The World Economic Forum’s twelfth annual Global Risks Report, for which Oliver Wyman’s parent company, Marsh & McLennan Companies, served as a strategic partner, highlights the social and political risks that have crystalized throughout the world in 2016, and examines some of their root causes: rising income and wealth disparity; increasing polarization and intensifying national sentiment; and a phase of disruptive technological change brought about by the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

In addition, the rise of populism and nationalism means that many states are seeking to withdraw from various international cooperation systems, resulting in a fraught geopolitical environment.

John Drzik discusses Global Risk

Geopolitical Turmoil

Profound social instability sits at the center of the global risk landscape, and has been influenced most notably by rising income and wealth disparity and the increasing polarization of societies. With populism and nationalism on the rise, businesses may also navigate a protectionist environment of tarriffs and sanctions in 2017.

Emerging Technologies

Every new technology holds great potential, both in terms of its possible benefits and negative consequences. In 2017, businesses will face challenges from emerging technologies that include a broadening landscape for cyberattacks, economic risk from jobs lost to artificial intelligence, and governing risks related to drones, driverless cars, robotics, and more.