How will COVID-19 affect Beliefs and Behaviours?

Long-term changes in social attitudes, policy, work, and consumption are likely to emerge from this pandemic. Similarly, a greater emphasis will probably be laid on crisis preparedness, systems resilience, social inequality, social solidarity, and access to healthcare. Some commentators already suggest the plausible acceleration in nationalistic tendencies, as well as a possible “great decoupling” of international interdependencies.

Such attitudinal shifts could be echoed by compelling policy changes in many areas, including policy-making, healthcare, economy and finance, technology, transforming society, and business innovation. National politics could also be impacted, as the electorate will evaluate the effectiveness and adequacy of governments’ responses.

Due to transforming attitudes and policies and of the direct experience of the pandemic, we are already undergoing a change in how we work, notably a sharper focus on remote working, digital collaboration, workplace hygiene, and protections for temporary workers.

Policy-Making in the Post-COVID Era

The opening session will address the Post-COVID Era from a policy-making standpoint. How can we tackle the Post-COVID Era with adequate and effective policies? Outstanding speakers will discuss the much-needed support policy-makers will have to mobilise in order to meet society and business transforming needs. Furthermore, border control and foreign policy will also be tackled during this session, as participants will debate the turn that interdependencies will take in the post-pandemic world. What lessons have we learnt from this pandemic? As climate change is calling for an urgent and multilateral approach, this session’s speakers will discuss climate governance and Green Deals in the Post-COVID Era.

Post-COVID Approaches to Healthcare

This session will assess how healthcare and frontline medicine will emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Being one of the sectors that were most affected by the crisis, healthcare will be tackled from different points of view. Speakers will discuss how social welfare and healthcare systems will be altered in the Post-COVID Era, as both a consequence and a response to the pandemic. Similarly, medical risk assessment will be examined, particularly with a focus on how the spread of infectious diseases can be predicted and halted. Can we conceive and design a physical environment that is better suited to disease prevention? This session will also navigate the technological breakthroughs that are driving medical advances, with participants discussing their vision for the future of healthcare and medicine.

Handling the Economy and Finance in the Post-COVID Era

This session’s debate will be centred on the Post-COVID global economy and finance. Speakers will contribute to the conversation by providing their insights into how trade, commerce and finance will change in the post-pandemic age. They will also discuss the principles and policy actions aimed at supporting national economies and local businesses in the Post-COVID Era, expanding countries’ priorities beyond traditional GDP growth. This session will take a look at which rapid measures countries should take to fund and support local businesses, as well as vulnerable workers and households. What will these measures entail in terms of economic competition, though? The debate will also tackle how countries will need to find a challenging balance between funding injections into their local economies and avoiding foreign retaliation against such measures. How will international interdependencies be reshaped in the Post-COVID Era? The participants will address this crucial topic by providing their knowledgeable understanding of how continents will envision the future of global markets.

Leveraging New Technologies in the Post-COVID Era

How can we make the most out of technological advances in the Post-COVID Era? The need for containment and monitoring measures has certainly found an ally in technology: apps, tracking devices and AI-based technologies of all sorts have served the purpose of flattening the curve. Yet, privacy concerns have rapidly emerged and entered the debate. This session’s speakers will thus evaluate the trade-off between privacy and safety when monitoring people and tracking the spread of diseases. This session will also take a look at how technology is helping societies reshape the way people work and live, without neglecting that access to remote working and distance learning is not equally available to all people. How can we bridge the digital divide, then? Last but not least, the debate will turn to how people and businesses can be empowered by leveraging AI and Big Data in the Post-COVID Era.

Transforming Society

In what ways will societies differ in the Post-COVID Era? This session will focus on the transformations that societies will experience in the post-pandemic world. The spread of COVID-19 has certainly had an impact on the way people work and live. An increasing amount of social scientific research has looked at the implications of both the COVID-19 pandemic and the quarantine measures that have been implemented. Speakers will assess the psychological and sociological effects on populations, notably on vulnerable people. Furthermore, which historical and philosophical lessons can we draw from post-pandemic societies? Participants will address the Post-COVID Era from a historical and philosophical standpoint, in an attempt to better prepare for the future by learning from the past. The debate will then turn to how travel and mobility have been impacted by the pandemic and how they will necessarily change in the Post-COVID Era.

The Challenges for the Post-COVID Era: Extreme Innovation for a New Age

What challenges will businesses face in the Post-COVID Era? This session will explore business concerns in the Post-COVID Era, notably in terms of fostering innovation. Multinational corporations and local companies have all been affected by COVID-19. Speakers will thus discuss best practices and innovation strategies that businesses across sectors should implement to tackle the impact of the pandemic. Innovation will first be discussed through the lens of public-private partnerships and data collaboration in the Post-COVID Era. Close attention will also be devoted to the Energy sector and its potential for innovation. Finally, the session will focus on how businesses can best adapt to the shifting needs and behaviours that characterise post-pandemic consumption patterns.