What new insights can we gain by examining human and economic development through a microregional lens? To explore this question, the McKinsey Global Institute convened a virtual launch event on the themes of our report, Pixels of Progress: A granular look at human development around the world.
The session began with an overview of the findings with MGI director and lead author Chris Bradley followed by a fireside chat between Chris and AB InBev CEO Michel Doukeris and a panel discussion moderated by Financial Times economics reporter Valentina Romei with
- Michel Doukeris, CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev
- Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, Princesa de Asturias Chair and Professor of Economic Geography at the London School of Economics
- Rima Assi, Global Leader of the Social, Healthcare & Public Sector practices at McKinsey & Company
Instead of using national data, this MGI report uses cutting-edge analytic and data visualization techniques to break 178 countries down into more than 40,000 microregions and show in vivid detail how the world has advanced in GDP per capita and life expectancy over the past two decades.
Questions discussed during the virtual event include:
- Do we need a change of narrative when we talk about global development?
- Do businesses have the economic information they need to thrive and help others thrive? How could that improve?
- What policies could governments consider adopting to boost regional growth? Are there some successful examples that they could learn from?
- What are the factors behind the impressive health progress of the last two decades, and what could the future look like?
- Given the facts, are you optimistic or pessimistic about regional development over the next decades? Why?
For more on this topic, please watch the virtual event recording and read the report, Pixels of Progress: A granular look at human development around the world.