The NextGen Value Creation Barometer 2024: Prioritizing Opportunities for the Young

Abstract

The NextGen Value Creation Barometer 2024, a sub-index of the Elite Quality Index (EQx), measures the extent to which national economic models create or deplete value for young and future generations. Now in its year, the Barometer evaluates five core categories: Ecology and Natural Capital, Equitable Opportunities, Education and Human Capital, Health and Well-Being, and Innovation and Technology.

Scandinavian countries such as Denmark, Sweden, and Norway rank high in the Barometer, with Denmark securing the top position. Notable is the problematic ranking of the United States dropping from #76 to #79, as well as the drop in China's position from #54 to #73. This decline is associated with increased social inequality, rising government debt, and increases in youth unemployment.

South Korea and Japan show improvement, with South Korea rising from #17 to #13, due to increased public spending on education and innovation, exemplifying as possible path forward for aging societies.

The Barometer's findings - and differences to the overall EQx, underline that the intergenerational value relationship, which the Barometer seeks to capture, is a distinct socio-economic phenomenon. As such, it ought to be discretely understood by policymakers, business elites, and society at large, to address disparities and boost the Value Creation prospects of the young.

Keywords: intergenerational, fairness, equity, long-term value, index, elites, elite quality, institutions, value creation, value extraction, economic development, political economy, global rankings, international business