A new programme of research at the Oxford Martin School is to investigate the implications of a rapidly changing technological landscape for economies and societies.
The Oxford Martin Programme on Technology and Employment forms a major component of the partnership between the School and global bank Citi to analyse some of the most pressing global challenges of the 21st Century.
It will be led by Dr Carl Benedikt Frey and Dr Michael Osborne, co-authors of the widely-cited 2013 working paper, ‘The Future of Employment’, which predicted 47 per cent of US jobs could be lost to automation within the next 20 years. This new programme of research will study how technology is transforming companies and industries, why some places are better at adapting to this transformation, and the related implications for living standards, inequality and social mobility. Their insights will provide a comprehensive understanding of how technology is transforming the economy, to help leaders create a successful transition into new ways of working in the 21st Century.
Director of the Oxford Martin School, Professor Ian Goldin, said: “Understanding the economic impact of rapidly developing technologies will be key to how we shape our societies in the decades to come. While technology can bring about large-scale positive change, research is needed to understand these opportunities and mitigate possible negative consequences such as rising unemployment and widening inequality.
“The Oxford Martin School is proud to be partnering with Citi on this new programme, which will carry out in-depth research into the effects of new and emerging technologies on countries, cities, industries and companies. Through evidence and wide-ranging insights this new initiative will help guide policy makers and businesses as they work to harness the large-scale societal benefits that transformative technologies can bring.”
As well as collaborating on research, the School and Citi are producing joint Citi Global Perspectives & Solutions (Citi GPS) reports, the first of which was published in October 2014.