ABCDE Event 2025: Development in the Age of Populism, Day 3

By most measures of human progress, the world is in better shape today than it has ever been—in life expectancy, in per capita GDP, in literacy rates, among other things. Yet, profound dissatisfaction has taken root in many countries, at every level of income. The global economic system that has powered much of this progress over the last 80 years is now widely regarded as broken. Nearly two-thirds of the global electorate went to the polls last year to register their displeasure regarding income inequality, cultural insecurity, and elite institutions.

Populism, in short, is ascendant to an unusually synchronized degree, fueled by a fragmenting public consensus on the policies needed for economic progress. It will pose a formidable development challenge in the coming years.

ABCDE—scheduled for July 22 to 25 and organized by the World Bank in conjunction with the Center for Global Development and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy—aims to assess the developments during the last decade, analyze the causes, and adjust our approach to economic progress.

Bringing together some of the world’s leading economic thinkers, the conference will help identify the best way forward—with deep dives on key topics such as artificial intelligence, migration, nutrition and health, and pollution, and a geographical focus that spans the world. Attendees will explore geopolitical shifts; unilateralism and multilateralism; and growth and opportunity.