It has been three years since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 pandemic on 11 March 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every aspect of society and the economy, not just public health care delivery.

Consequently, the need for interdisciplinary and forward-looking policy research that supports timely and effective decision-making has never been more critical.

The Global Knowledge Mobility Nexus (2023) was prepared in response to the rising demand for strategic foresight expertise at the multilateral, national, and local level. This brief provides a comprehensive analytic framework to better understand the megatrends and emerging change drivers, including the COVID-19 pandemic, most likely to influence high-level policy agendas and major business decisions for the near-term future.

How this Strategic Intelligence Brief is Structured

Part One surveys the geopolitical shifts in six world regions that are disrupting global power relations and the traditional understanding of international governance systems.

Part Two reviews the diverse ways in which global mobility networks were impacted by and adapted to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic.

Part Three assesses how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted cities as frontline actors in the global emergency response.

The unfinished pandemic recovery highlights the urgent necessity of promoting foresight analysis among global leaders so that they are better prepared to deal with systemic shocks in the near-term future.

The impact of the two-year COVID-19 pandemic on global governance, human mobility, and knowledge mobilization has been extraordinary. At a strategic level, the pandemic emergency highlights the human cost of complacency and inaction. The experience of the global health emergency also highlights the intrinsic value of anticipating “over the horizon” threats and developing response capabilities that are agile, networked, and self-learning.

The Global Knowledge Mobility Nexus (2022) provides a strategic analytic framework that public and private organizations can use to better understand the global megatrends and emerging change drivers most likely to influence high-level policy agendas and major business decisions for the near future. An equally important aspiration is the cultivation of a “future-ready” perspective among local planners, business associations, civil society organizations, think tanks, academics, and community-based leaders.

This year, focused attention is given to understanding the world’s asymmetric transition from the emergency phase to the recovery phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.

How this Strategic Intelligence Brief is Structured

Part One surveys the geopolitical shifts in six world regions that are disrupting global power relations and the traditional understanding of international governance systems. The analysis also considers how engagement on strategic issues like public health security and global mobility conspire to create new sources of geopolitical competition and cooperation.

Part Two reviews the different ways in which various global mobility networks were disrupted in 2021 as result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also considers how a four-pronged agile governance framework can be used to better understand the reconfiguration of global mobility networks in 2022 and beyond.

Part Three assesses how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted cities as frontline actors in the global emergency response. Multiple dimensions of contemporary urbanization are examined to gain fresh insight to the strategic role of municipal leadership in managing risks and opportunities in the 21st century.

Cultivating an in-depth knowledge about global megatrends and their complex interconnection is key to emerging stronger and more resilient from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Global decision-makers are struggling with the challenge of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and transitioning to a more resilient future. The COVID-19 crisis underscores the urgency of developing a global mindset to prepare for “over the horizon” threats. With that in mind, The Global Knowledge Mobility Nexus establishes an interpretive framework that public and private organizations can use to better understand the intersecting megatrends and emerging change drivers that are shaping the 21st century.

As a forward-looking document, this strategic intelligence brief is designed to support foresight activities including environmental scanning and scenario planning. It is organized into three parts that correspond with a different megatrend.  

How this Strategic Intelligence Brief is Structured

Part One surveys the geopolitical shifts in six world regions that are disrupting global power relations and the traditional understanding of international governance systems. The analysis also considers how engagement on strategic issues like public health security and global mobility conspire to create new sources of geopolitical competition and cooperation.

Part Two reviews the different ways in which various global mobility networks were disrupted in 2020 as result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also considers how a four-pronged agile governance framework can be used to better understand the reconfiguration of global mobility networks in 2021 and beyond.

Part Three assesses how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted cities as frontline actors in the global emergency response. Multiple dimensions of contemporary urbanization are examined to gain fresh insight to the strategic role of municipal leadership in managing risks and opportunities in the 21st century.

The Annex comprises a comprehensive index inventory that you can use to conduct your own environmental scanning and foresight activities.

Enterprising organizations that understand these forces can better anticipate the cascading effects of disruptive change and establish a solid basis for complex problem solving.

In today’s complex world, intelligent decision-making in both the public and private sectors is contingent on an in-depth knowledge of global mega-trends and their interconnections.

The Global Knowledge Mobility Nexus establishes an interpretive framework for understanding these converging mega-trends as well as their political, economic, and social implications.

As a forward-looking document, it supports the foresight activities (ie., environmental scanning and scenario planning activities) featured in Developing A Global Mindset: Adopting a Strategic Approach to Knowledge Mobilization. 

How this Strategic Intelligence Brief is Structured

Part One surveys the geopolitical shifts and realignments that are overturning many core assumptions about international power relations and systems of governance.

Part Two examines powerful transportation and mobility infrastructures that are extending their networked connections through a complex process of interdisciplinary knowledge sharing, rapid adaptation, and continuous learning.

Part Three explores how intensive urbanization and city-to-city diplomacy is redefining the global knowledge economy and traditional notions of national sovereignty.

Enterprising organizations that understand these forces can better anticipate the cascading effects of disruptive change and establish a solid basis for complex problem solving.