Issue Watch point: states investing in diversity and welfare cultivate talent and gain influence

Summary

This issue is the second watch point in the report's story about strategic resources and smaller states. It suggests that states committed to diversity, inclusion and social welfare may be better at cultivating the talent that technological innovation needs. Such states may also be better at weathering the labour and social disruptions that innovation brings. Both advantages could translate into greater international influence. The watch point links domestic social policy to competition for tech talent, which the report treats as a scarce strategic resource. It implies that welfare and inclusion may become sources of geopolitical strength rather than only domestic goals.