Thirty Tomorrows: The Next Three Decades of Globalization, Demographics, and How We Will Live

Veteran investment strategist and economist Ezrati (Kawari) offers a smart, readable synthesis of globalization and how Europe, Japan, and other nations have come to terms with it. More of a history than a projection, the book begins with demographics that establish that though the populations are aging—a cause for concern—they are healthier. He then turns to global events and economic trends during the last three decades, and reviews the transformations in China with an even hand. As the biggest holder of U.S. foreign debt, China, Ezrati argues, should reform its currency policy. He issues a warning about the influence of little-known sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) and their power to shape political events. Along the way, Ezrati considers how Texas and New England have been reinvented through high-tech innovation; revisits early 19th-century British economist David Ricardo’s idea of comparative advantage; and documents a post-industrial employment surge in cable TV workers. Affirming the economic power of developed nations, he takes as an example the vaunted Indian software and programming industry, basic and small-scale compared to the U.S. Ezrati covers familiar themes and events, but his panoramic, balanced perspective provides valuable insights into economic challenges ahead. Agent: Joe Spieler, the Spieler Agency. (Apr.)