The CGD Podcast: Overcoming Myopia Before it Kills Us — Ian Goldin

Date: May 29, 2013
Host: Lawrence MacDonald (A), Center for Global Development
Guest: Ian Goldin (B), Director, Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford

Episode Overview

In this forward-looking episode, Lawrence MacDonald interviews Ian Goldin, Director of the Oxford Martin School at Oxford University, about the School’s interdisciplinary approach to “the most pressing challenges of the 21st century.” The conversation centers around the Oxford Martin Commission for Future Generations—a high-profile initiative aimed at overcoming short-term thinking ("myopia") in policymaking and harnessing collective expertise for smarter, long-view solutions to global issues such as climate change, demographic shifts, and economic inequality.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Oxford Martin School: Its Mission and Structure

• Interdisciplinary Collaboration:
  Goldin describes the Oxford Martin School as a unique entity bringing together over 300 academics from 27 disciplines—including medicine, natural and social sciences, economics, and philosophy—to tackle big, global questions.

  "It's a group of about 300 plus academics...who come together in interdisciplinary teams to address the most pressing challenges of the 21st century." — Ian Goldin (00:57)

• Project Scope:
  They address grand challenges, from curing diseases to creating new forms of non-carbon energy and understanding migration and demographic changes.
• Selective and Global:
  The School funds projects through a rigorous process, accepting only about 10% of proposals, and encouraging global applicants—provided they base themselves in Oxford.

  "We're very competitive. We accept about 10% of the applicants through competitive processes." — Ian Goldin (02:26)

• Focus on Physical Collaboration:
  Goldin stresses the value of in-person idea exchange.

  "We want people to come together and to play off each other, to share ideas. We want them to be in the same location." — Goldin (02:54)

Jim Martin: The Visionary Benefactor

• Martin’s Influence:
  The School is funded by Jim Martin, a technology entrepreneur and prolific author, driven by the belief that the 21st century could be humanity’s best or worst, depending on our capacity to innovate and adapt.

  "[Martin] believes that humanity is at the crossroads—that this will either be our best century...or could be our worst, because we find a whole new variety of ways...to destroy much of the achievement over the past centuries." — Goldin (03:52)

• Emphasis on Actionable Ideas:
  Martin’s intent is to connect world-leading researchers with the policy and business community, generating not just ideas but impact.

The Oxford Martin Commission for Future Generations

• Purpose:
  The Commission convenes former global institutional leaders, Nobel laureates, and policy experts to address systemic failures in global governance and the dangers of political and economic "myopia."

  "At the same time, there's a growing possibility of cascading crises and risks...from globalization and hyper connectivity." — Goldin (05:49) "What we are very concerned about is there's no one there really to deal with the big looming global issues..." — Goldin (05:56)

• Distinguished Membership:
  Chaired by Pascal Lamy (ex-WTO), with members like Amartya Sen and Nick Stern—prominent thinkers drawn from a range of fields and countries.
• Objective:
  To generate practical solutions for "unlocking the gridlock in politics" and promoting long-term thinking and collective action.
• Incremental but Urgent:
  Goldin notes that while no single commission can be transformative overnight, their goal is to raise awareness and push for systemic reform before globalization unravels into nationalism or protectionism.

  "Our hope is that we can make some difference, even if that's modest. We would have done our job." — Goldin (09:31)

The Challenge of Short-Term Thinking (“Myopia”)

• Systemic Myopia:
  Discussion focused on why current institutions are biased toward the short-term, and how the U.S. exhibits particular challenges due to its political structure and culture.
• Role of Economics and Markets:
  Goldin critiques the reliance on market signals to deliver public good, noting that unpriced externalities (like environmental harm) undermine this.

  "Economics has got us into the wrong place on this because it's taught us that basically the market signals and self-interest will lead to collective good outcomes. We know increasingly [that] externalities...are having a big outcome." — Goldin (10:49)

The Role of the United States

• Pros and Cons:
  The U.S. has tremendous innovative potential and openness to ideas, but its political system is heavily influenced by money and lobbying, leading to policy capture by elites and more pronounced short-termism.

  "Money talks in the U.S. in a way [it] doesn't elsewhere...So when you have growing inequality, the wealthy have an increasing power over...this process." — Goldin (11:48)

• Science, Democracy, and Transparency:
  Goldin remarks on the paradox of U.S. scientific leadership versus its difficulties implementing evidence-based policy. He sees promise in citizen movements and transparency initiatives.

  "One of the big puzzles in the US, it's the most scientifically literate...And yet citizens and scientists haven't been very good in providing [an] evidence base for choice." — Goldin (12:32)

The Commission’s Process and Ambitions

• A High Bar:
  The Commission will only release a report if it provides genuinely new, worthwhile ideas.

  "We're only going to produce a report if we feel that we've got something very interesting and new to say." — Goldin (13:52)

• Consultative Approach:
  Input is welcomed from experts and the public; the School is acting as an "engine room" for multidisciplinary thinking.

  "We're looking for ideas and that's why we've been at CGD today to talk to the great people here about some of their ideas that we can filter in." — Goldin (14:18)

• Public Engagement Encouraged:
  Goldin encourages listeners to visit the Oxford Martin School website and contribute their thoughts.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "This will either be our best century...or could be our worst, because we find a whole new variety of ways...to destroy much of the achievement over the past centuries." — Ian Goldin, on Jim Martin’s vision (03:52)
• "What we are very concerned about is there's no one there really to deal with the big looming global issues..." — Ian Goldin (05:56)
• "Economics has got us into the wrong place...the market signals and self-interest will lead to collective good outcomes. We know increasingly [that] externalities...are having a big outcome..." — Ian Goldin (10:49)
• "Money talks in the U.S. in a way [it] doesn't elsewhere...when you have growing inequality, the wealthy have an increasing power over...this process." — Ian Goldin (11:48)
• "We're only going to produce a report if we feel we have something very interesting and new to say. We're not in it for its own sake." — Ian Goldin (13:52)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:57 — Overview of the Oxford Martin School and its interdisciplinary scope
• 03:52 — Jim Martin’s vision and founding philosophy
• 05:49 — Origins and aims of the Oxford Martin Commission for Future Generations
• 09:55 — Q&A and critique: Why another commission? Institutional short-termism
• 10:49 — The contradiction between self-interest and collective outcomes, particularly in the context of the U.S.
• 13:52 — Commission’s ambitions, process, and openness to new ideas

Conclusion

The episode offers a deep dive into the “myopia” plaguing contemporary policy and governance—and how the Oxford Martin School and its Commission for Future Generations are tackling it. Bringing together interdisciplinary research and high-level policy expertise, Goldin and colleagues hope to overcome systemic short-termism and inspire more effective, long-range responses to global challenges. The conversation blends realism and optimism, and listeners are invited to contribute their own ideas to this ambitious initiative.