The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Economic Outlook, June 2020 edition has been published. Not surprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the global economy and “has triggered the most severe economic recession in nearly a century and is causing enormous damage to people’s health, jobs, and well-being.” The OECD Outlook focuses on two possible scenarios—one in which a second wave of infections hits before the end of the calendar year, and one in which another major outbreak is avoided.

Knowledge@Wharton has published a timely and insightful article about race in the American workplace. "While racism in America is centuries old, the movement toward mass public corporate declarations to tackle racism is new. One commitment that many companies have made is to convene employees via town hall meetings to discuss race in the workplace." Read about the RACE framework for important strategies, developed for those in corporate environments who would like to begin talking about race in the workplace.

This new article by Harvard Business Review details the important differences between a "good job" and a "bad job." The author asserts that "In countries hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, customer-facing service businesses don’t just face a tough two to three months; they face a tough two to three years. Making the challenge even tougher, many of these businesses rely on a “bad jobs” model for frontline workers whose hallmarks are low wages, low productivity, high turnover, and difficulty adapting to changing customer needs and technologies. Now more than ever, they need a new labor approach."

The Chronicle of Philanthropy recently published a thought-provoking article with some specific ideas for how our older generation can have a profound impact "Generation C" (for Covid). The authors ask "What about a vast national corps of elders aimed at helping young people get off to a healthy start, read by the third grade, navigate the transition to adolescence, and find a foothold in higher education and the work force — one that might also bolster the legacy of the baby boomers in the process? This isn’t just a nice idea and a soft appeal to unify the generations. This is a necessary demand that we older people step up to save the American dream for a generation we are neglecting."

The COVID-19 pandemic crisis and the public health response that has followed are causing the largest and fastest decline in international flows in modern history. This insightful article from Harvard Business Review emphasizes that "the latest data and forecasts imply that leaders should plan for — and shape — a world where both globalization and anti-globalization pressures remain enduring features of the business environment."

Knowledge@Wharton has published a fascinating article about increasing life expectancy and how to pay for it. The authors describe possible opportunities for public-private partnerships to help create financial products that help offset, pool, or transfer the longevity risks to other market participants while helping aging Americans support themselves.