STRUCTURAL FORCES ECONOMICS Key Takeaways During the next two decades, several global economic trends, including rising national debt, a more complex and fragmented trading environment, the global spread of trade in services, new employment disruptions, and the continued rise of powerful 昀椀rms, are likely to shape conditions within and between states. Many governments may 昀椀nd they have reduced 昀氀exibility as they navigate greater debt burdens, diverse trading rules, and public pressure to deal with challenges that range from demographic shifts to climate change. Asian economies appear poised to continue decades of growth, although poten- tially at a slower pace. Productivity growth will be a key variable globally; increased growth rates in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries would help governments deal with economic, demographic, and other challenges; and increased growth rate in Asia could help countries avoid the middle-income trap. 42 CHUUTERSNAP / Unsplash