commercial and non-profit mode of operation, where every action will be evaluated in terms of its positive social impact, regardless of whether it is produced by commercial or noncommercial means. Since intangible spheres of activity (alone or in combination with tangible production) have immeasurably greater potential for having positive social impact in relation to the old-time tangible production sectors, these new sectors will eventually acquire greater commercial value as they are gradually incorporated into the regular economy. Eventually the new sectors based on intangible or hybrid production will gain economic independence and become the undisputed leaders of the new economy. The old, purely tangible industries (manufacturing of commodities with zero intangible value or utility) will either receive a complementary intangible module, to become hybrid in nature and get integrated into the economy of the future, or will disappear, becoming a thing of the past.
The economy of the future is the economy of mutual exchange of intangible values and tangible values that have acquired the status of manifestation or carrier of intangible values. In other words, there will be tangible things carrying intangible value, or a tangible thing will be part of a module combining tangible and intangible items that have a positive social impact or meaning to a person and/or the society. That is, all the products in the economy of the future will have an intangible module, representing their positive social impact.
The economy of the future will assign the greatest value to those products carrying intangible value that offer an opportunity to increase the development level of the humans (i.e. their qualities and competencies). These can be products in the field of information, knowledge, culture, or any other field. Accordingly, the leaders of the new economy will be those industries and enterprises that create such products.
The logic and model of the new human behavior in the economy of the future will be based on the understanding of values as products of positive social impact, that is: “I buy something that will make me better (as a person, in the sense of the development of my qualities and competencies), increase my development level and will therefore improve my financial well-being.” That is, the entire society will be working to create a more developed person, which in turn, through having all the necessary qualities and competencies, will contribute to the development of themselves and the society, thus acquiring even greater development and helping others to develop and fully supporting themselves and those around them financially. It is crucial to highlight that the development agenda is not forced or compulsory for anyone. Everything must happen freely, exclusively because of individual’s goodwill and desire. The reason is that the society understands that each person has their own development level and stage, their own development path, which they feel and identify on their own.
From here emerges an open, free economy of mutual benefit, of mutual positive impact, where everyone has their own understanding of the benefit to themselves, to the others, and to the society, and also acquires a corresponding measure:
• the personal capital – that is, the individual inner self-perception
• the social capital, that is, collective external measure – social recognition, status, social opportunities, etc.
• financial capital, that is, individual external measure – money and things surrounding that person
In other words, the more benefit and positive impact a person produces, the more capital of each type they earn.
All human and social interaction will be translated into the equivalent of positive social impact and its corresponding measure, including social and financial capital.
All products in the new economy will be assigned a positive impact index, which measures the usefulness of each product for the new human and social development paradigm. The higher the positive impact index a product has, the greater its cost, and therefore the value in terms of personal, social and financial capital. This will affect producers, sellers and buyers of these products accordingly. That is, the producers, sellers and buyers will all gain personal, social, and material capital by producing, selling and buying products with a higher positive impact index.
The concept of social value and capital must include, among other things, social recognition and appreciation for those who produce and buy products with a high positive impact index. This recognition can be expressed through specific additional social opportunities, such as the respective increases in social standing, “social doors,” “social elevators,” the opportunity to take on more important and responsible social positions, the opportunity to receive support from social funds working for the development of the new society.
In the economy of the future, all products, including ordinary material products, will be labeled according to their positive impact index (PII) on humans and the society, on a scale from extremely destructive through neutral, safe, and ultimately high positive impact.
All economic agents, market players, companies and individuals working for these companies, will be assigned their positive impact index, which will change along with the changes in the activities of that company or individual. The higher the PII rating is for a person or a company, the greater their personal, social and financial capital and the greater their social opportunities are. Everyone, including the government, will prioritize the people and enterprises with high positive impact index.
Customers buying products with a high positive impact index will also receive social and financial capital points.
Already at this intermediate stage of transition to idealistic intangible, it will be possible to leave behind the most obvious destructive trends of all kinds (including through the positive interchange economy) and towards the true humanity – the summit of what the humans are capable of today. Needless to say, that society will still have its share of problems and threats, to be addressed at the next stage of development – the transition from the idealistic intangible to the real intangible economy.
At this stage, the economy of the future will place a strong emphasis on the notion that everyone’s pursuit of human development is inherently beneficial to the society. This concept will not only be proclaimed but also actively integrated into daily practices, becoming an important component of the new global humane society. The economy will encourage active participation from all individuals, inviting them to engage in the process of personal and collective growth.
Гость выпуска / Special Guest
«Мы располагаем технологическими и экономическими возможностями для того, чтобы покончить с бедностью». Интервью с профессором Джеффри Саксом
Наталья Гладких
DOI 10.55140/2782–5817–2023–3-S1–14–18
В интервью журналу «Позитивные изменения» профессор Сакс дал свой прогноз развития экономики будущего и рассказал, почему мы должны стремиться к благополучию человека и иметь глобально согласованные цели, а также о том, сможет ли человечество когда-нибудь победить нищету и поможет ли искусственный интеллект устранить неравенство.
