The world faces major uncertainties –  economic (another economic crisis?), political (instability in the Middle East), environmental (climate change), societal (population ageing) and technical (nuclear safety). To those, add uncertainties connected with Brexit and in connection with the new US administration. In the face of those uncertainties, the welfare state – one of whose major purposes is risk sharing – matters greatly.  So does human capital, particularly because technical change is driving up the demand for skills. Mobility also matters, as an element in human rights and for resilience in the face of uncertainty.  And to facilitate mobility, the portability of benefits also matters. This LSE Lecture is part of the Programme on Brexit and is given by Nick Barr, Tito Boeri, and Vassilis Monastiriotis.

This post gives the views of its authors, not the position of LSE Brexit or the London School of Economics. 

Nick Barr, LSE European Institute

Tito Boeri, Bocconi University & Italian Social Security administration 

Vassilis Monastiriotis, LSE European Institute