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Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds (Global Trends Reports) Paperback – December 12, 2012

4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 93 ratings
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GLOBAL TRENDS 2030 is intended to stimulate thinking about the rapid and vast geopolitical changes characterizing the world today and possible global trajectories over the next 15 years. The world of 2030 will be radically transformed from our world today. By 2030, no country—whether the US, China, or any other large country—will be a hegemonic power. The empowerment of individuals and diffusion of power among states and from states to informal networks will have a dramatic impact, largely reversing the historic rise of the West since 1750, restoring Asia's weight in the global economy, and ushering in a new era of "democratization" at the international and domestic level. In addition to individual empowerment and the diffusion of state power, we believe that two other megatrends will shape our world out to 2030: demographic patterns, especially rapid aging; and growing resource demands which, in the cases of food and water, might lead to scarcities. These trends, which are virtually certain, exist today, but during the next 15-20 years they will gain much greater momentum. Underpinning the megatrends are tectonic shifts - critical changes to key features of our global environment that will affect how the world "works" In depth research, detailed modeling and a variety of analytical tools drawn from public, private and academic sources were employed in the production of this report.
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  1. Print length
    166 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    December 12, 2012
  4. Dimensions
    8.5 x 0.38 x 11 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1929667213
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1929667215
  7. See all details
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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
93 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides insightful analysis of current trends and their potential impact. They describe it as a compelling report for anyone interested in what the future might be like. However, some readers found the color scheme confusing and the charts and graphs not ideal in black and white. Opinions differ on the reading pace - some found the language simple and concise, while others had difficulty reading it on Kindle and found the content repetitive.

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InsightReadabilityReading paceColor scheme
22 customers mention "Insight"19 positive3 negative

Customers find the book provides good analysis of current world trends and where they may lead. They find it an excellent source for strategic thinkers who want to gain a global perspective. The book compiles intricate information about how countries are rated in many areas. It makes sense of what is occurring and offers facts and figures to back up its analysis. Readers find the report interesting and thought-provoking, with references for further study.

"...The arguments are well supported, although I find myself in disagreement with some of the conclusions that they reach...." Read more

"...So, nevertheless, I think this is a useful reference work to scan and have on hand, especially if you want to explore what we all may be facing in..." Read more

"...It is an excellent analysis of the current trends in the world, and where they might lead us...." Read more

"...It's a compilation of the intricate realm of info that makes up how countries are rated in many categories...." Read more

12 customers mention "Readability"12 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-written and engaging. They say it's an excellent report on future trends, with multiple sources included. The text is complete without charts or sidebars, making it a worthwhile purchase for those interested in the subject matter.

"...This is a book for people who enjoy cerebral and a little dry reading, as the tone reminds me more of an interesting text-book, which is alright for..." Read more

"...The text is so complete that I could get by without charts & sidebars, but they would have been helpful and I missed them." Read more

"...Anyway, I found it interesting and worth reading. And since it's published by a government agency, the price is very reasonable!" Read more

"...Certain areas, overall a very commendable and thoughtful job of charting out possible scenarios for the future...." Read more

6 customers mention "Reading pace"3 positive3 negative

Customers have different views on the reading pace. Some find the language simple and clear, while others struggle with repetitive content and unreadable diagrams on Kindle devices.

"Accurate statements. Science application validated. Simple language used...." Read more

"...And the writing/content is quite repetitive...." Read more

"...my business class called "Global Trends" at USF - clear and concise, happy to have it now." Read more

"...Now the BAD news. I had a hard time reading this book on my Kindle, and it is available ONLY on Kindle, not in hard-copy...." Read more

3 customers mention "Color scheme"0 positive3 negative

Customers dislike the color scheme. They mention the graphics were colored, so you can't see the key well, and the charts and graphs are not ideal in black and white.

"...The charts and graphs are not ideal in black and white." Read more

"the book was copy & the graphics was colored so you can't see the key good and you can't see the colors" Read more

"...Graphics are black and white, pixellated (even the cover), it's basically just a bad print of the excellent (free) PDF version." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • DMG
    5.0 out of 5 stars excellent read
    Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This book is a well thought out and equally well-presented publication on the upcoming trends that the world faces within the next two decades. The arguments are well supported, although I find myself in disagreement with some of the conclusions that they reach. The only real difficulty I have with this thought provoking book is that there are a few charts and graphs in the publication that I can not see well enough, as the book does not allow me to zoom in adequately to make any sense of them. Even so the body of work is sufficient to extrapolate the contents of the charts easily enough. This is a book for people who enjoy cerebral and a little dry reading, as the tone reminds me more of an interesting text-book, which is alright for me. I can think of several people that would not care for this publication in it's current form. Still I found it thought-provoking and a worthwhile purchase.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Thorough, sensible, but very abstract
    Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This is an interesting report, and I have read quite a lot of it.
    I think that the predictions are sensible and feasible.

    But I find that the conclusions re what we will face in the near future could have been much more useful and understandable with many more concrete examples on how those trends would be experienced. I foiund myself struggling to grasp the implications of these "very global" trends since the writing is so very much soaring in the clouds of high-elevation abstraction.

    For example:
    If I were to point out that global warming is melting the polar icecaps at a rather alarming rate and give projections. Most people would get it that that would cause a rise in sea levels. But I think that a lot of readers, including me, would want to know what the results would be--like not only changing weather patterns but more specifically what those changes would likely entail. Now the book did commendably predict that wet areas will get wetter and dry areas drier. That's just the sort of thing I'm talking about: Think through the implications at least to a further degree and provide so more concrete predictions.

    And the writing/content is quite repetitive. The "Executive Summary" and the "Overview" are long, and the informations is repeated in the main chapters (One...Two...Three) but not a lot is added to the Overview. In other words, it might be a good idea to skip the overview and just go to the main chapters.

    An index was not provided, and that could have been very useful is locating desired info. Or at least a more detail table of contents.

    In making these critiques, I don't want to sound ungrateful for the work that went into such a comprehensive look at the future. But I do feel much more in the way of implications of the trends, how they could translate into more localized trends, cause and effect, ground-level experience would have made the work much more relevantly useful and relatable.

    So, nevertheless, I think this is a useful reference work to scan and have on hand, especially if you want to explore what we all may be facing in the near future. But to make it relevant to you, be prepared to do a lot of thinking on how the mega-trends would work out.

    The Executive Summar does begin with "This report is intended to stimulate thinking about the rapid and vast geopolitical changes characterizing the world today and possible global trajectories during the next 15-20 years." And that is certainly fair warning. So if you would like to figure out how these global predictions might affect your personally, your town, your state or country, be prepared to roll up your thinking and research sleeves.

    Recommended.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Federal Guy
    3.0 out of 5 stars Good News & Bad News
    Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I have good news and bad news.
    First, the GOOD news...I really enjoyed this book. It is an excellent analysis of the current trends in the world, and where they might lead us. Best of all, it is ultimately a hopeful book....we aren't going to be living totalitarian or post-apocalyptic nightmares by 2030.
    Now the BAD news. I had a hard time reading this book on my Kindle, and it is available ONLY on Kindle, not in hard-copy. The actual text was no problem, but any kind of chart, graph, or sidebar piece was tiny & washed-out. It looked like someone scanned a hard-copy book and tried to upload it to Kindle. I have a first-generation Kindle...maybe the new models can handle it. The text is so complete that I could get by without charts & sidebars, but they would have been helpful and I missed them.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • R. B. Lewis
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Christmas present to myself!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    The description of the book intrigued me, so I decided to own the book!! It was much more than I expected, and I am learning a WHOLE LOT more than I realized what the previews spelled out. It's a compilation of the intricate realm of info that makes up how countries are rated in many categories. It's tough reading, but worth the time to piece it all together. Some of their predictions are already coming true, although it is too early for the timetables they actually are writing for. I have it on Kindle, so the diagrams are unreadable, but I can still get the message!!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Emmanuel
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great information and analysis throughout 2030
    Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Accurate statements. Science application validated. Simple language used.

    This book comes to give us a guide on how world is and will move in multiple perspectives and life areas.
    Helpful
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  • Michael Glaviano
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and Worth Reading
    Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Whatever people think about the CIA, the NSA, the DIA, etc., I think most everyone agrees that these agencies are populated with a lot of smart people. Every few years, the NIC (I think that TLA stands for "National Intelligence Council") publishes a non-classified document that gives a view of the state of the world. The document looks at trends & possible scenarios for both the "developed countries" and the "developing countries." It breaks the analysis down more finely than that and does some possible situations for Brazil, Colombia, Russia, India, and many others (as opposed to talking only in general terms about large groupings of countries).

    Most notably, the document tries very hard to avoid politicizing the various issues and challenges we face. That, by itself, is pretty refreshing these days. Anyway, I found it interesting and worth reading. And since it's published by a government agency, the price is very reasonable!
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Spidermac
    5.0 out of 5 stars Curioso de leer
    Reviewed in Spain on September 9, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Da pistas y claves, hay que reinterpretar y adaptar a mercado y situación económica cambiante.
    Descarga Gratuita y perfectamente legible en el Kindle.
    Report
  • Graham W
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very well written summary of crucial information - extremely useful
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 23, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This report is extremely valuable - sadly, very few people are aware of its existence. It deserves far wider promotion. Thanks for making it available through Amazon - otherwise I'd never have discovered it.
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  • W. Schweighofer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Asien wird die USA und Europa bis 2030 überholen
    Reviewed in Germany on January 4, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Der Westen verliert an Bedeutung: Eine Studie der US-Geheimdienste sieht Asien in 20 Jahren als mächtigste Region weltweit. Zu den Verlierern gehören Europa und Russland.
    Absolut lesenswerte Projektion, die strategisch denkende Entscheidungsträger wachrütteln sollte!
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  • gehararigo
    1.0 out of 5 stars 読めません
    Reviewed in Japan on July 28, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Kindle版を購入しました。　このような専門書は、図表と本文があって成り立つものですが、小さい文字を含む図表をキンドルで見ることは不可能です。　結局、ハードカバー版を買うことになりそうです。　
    Report
  • Luca Taylor
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 5, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    fascinating read can't wait until the next one. They certainly predicted the emergence of hacking as a threat.
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