Seismic global forces—geopolitical upheavals, climate change, transformation of labor force and shifting migration patterns—are causing disruptions on an unprecedented scale. In Virtus, author Behrad Foroughizadeh focuses on these challenging issues, offering a new way for countries to deal with them economically.
Nations’ economies are feeling the trickle-down effects of all these forces, writes the author, and neither the public nor private sectors will escape unscathed from their impacts. These are conditions, he stresses, that are ripe for a new economic model, one unconstrained by rigid ideologies or unsustainable promises. Foroughizadeh argues for a new paradigm he calls Virtus, a “value-based prosperity model” that’s superior to other models, in part because it can dynamically interact with the global disruptive forces currently at play.
This interaction, he explains, in essence changes the “DNA” of our economic systems by generating value holistically, not just financially. For example, countries predicted to feel the blunt force of climate change would mitigate the cataclysmic effect of rising sea levels by creating advanced warning projects as well as structural refurbishment and phased smart relocation of communities to lower risk areas. These types of actions recognize that economic risks can not be uncoupled from the social impacts of such upheavals.
To his credit, the author avoids using convoluted language and concepts to describe market forces. Instead, he employs accessible language and terms without diluting their meanings. He also helps readers conceptualize the questions and assumptions that provide the baseline for his new model. (With such a considerate attention to detail, his four-page disclaimer chapter seems overly cautious.)
Virtus could benefit by illustrating some of the author’s arguments with infographics, which would provide relief from dense paragraphs. But overall, it offers a fresh worldview that combines pragmatism and hope and will appeal to anyone who longs for a constructive, non-partisan vision for global economic renewal.
Also available in hardcover and ebook.
