This electoral uncertainty is coupled with other serious causes for concern, such as the development of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza or the protectionist tensions in the global economy. Crises have long since become the new normal where governments and international institutions are compelled to carry out their work. Instability, turned into the new paradigm of governance, forces a revision of public priorities: security takes precedence over profitability, and strategic autonomy over free trade. However, not everything is a cause for pessimism; in recent years, we have also seen that the magnitude of the challenges has compelled different actors to strengthen their cooperative ties and explore more effective governance formulas.
Strategic and economic instability has also returned the State to a starring role as a protagonist in economic activity. The fiscal stimulus policies developed to overcome the COVID crisis are now joined by new tools aimed at ensuring strategic control of critical sectors for any country, such as energy and communication networks. In this environment, increasing economic regulation is seen as an indispensable tool to tackle major global challenges such as the decarbonization of the economy or the development of Artificial Intelligence. However, at the same time, more and more actors warn of the risks of hyper-regulation as a potential brake on the development of innovation and new economic activities. Simultaneously, it is necessary to address social unrest and restore confidence in the market economy’s ability to create and distribute wealth across society, which involves making employment the focus of economic policies. Probably the greatest challenge today in this field is anticipating and preventing the impact that Artificial Intelligence will have on the current model of labor relations.
Since its first edition, the Foro La Toja-Atlantic Link has continually reflected on the values that define our liberal democracies. This year, we continue to do so by addressing the widespread phenomenon of social polarization. The health and efficacy of a democratic system depend on minimal consensuses on values common to the entire society. Polarization undermines these consensuses and, consequently, makes our political systems less efficient and less democratic.
We will reflect on all these issues on October 3, 4, and 5 at our traditional meeting on the island of A Toxa. In the debates, we will have internationally renowned speakers such as Daron Acemoglu, Martin Wolf, Simon Montefiore, and Yasha Mounk. In addition to the institutional presence of the Government, the Xunta de Galicia, and the opposition leader, we will once again hear from the most authoritative voices in the business world to hear their suggestions on the reform agenda that our country needs.