Start of main content

The New Production Revolution: The Digital Transformation

Social Sciences Seminar 14 March 2017 Madrid

General information

Venue: Fundación Ramón Areces, Vitruvio, 5. 28006. Madrid
Limited capacity

Free registration

Organized by:

Fundación Ramón Areces and OECD

Description
Programme

The world is in the midst of a transition towards a digital economy and a new society. All countries, including Spain, will need to seize this opportunity to harness innovation to boost economic growth and spur job creation. At the same time, enabling the digital transformation and the related next production revolution requires tackling a number of policy challenges. For example:

How can policy makers best prepare workers and society for the structural changes, including impacts on jobs and inequality, that are likely to occur?
How can policy ensure the digital transformation be used to support inclusive growth?
How can policies enhance access to digital tools in the business sector and facilitate greater business dynamism, notably in SMEs and young innovative firms?

The OECD has just launched a new project on Going Digital: Making the Transformation Work for Growth and Well-being. It aims to help policymakers in all policy areas to better understand the digital revolution that is taking place across different sectors of the economy and in society as a whole. The project will develop recommendations for pro-active - rather than reactive - policies that will help to drive greater growth and societal well-being and help address the challenges of slow productivity growth, high unemployment and growing inequality in many countries.

This OECD workshop with Fundación Ramón Areces is intended to explore these issues with a specific focus on Spain, including Spain's positioning in the key technological changes under way, and the policy settings that can support a strong outcome of the digital transformation for growth, employment and overall wellbeing.

Making The Digital Transformation Work for Spain

Tuesday, 14

Morning session

9:30-10:15

Opening session

Welcome address

Florencio Lasaga Munárriz
Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Fundación Ramón Areces.

Keynote speeches

Ángel Gurría
OECD Secretary General.

Álvaro Nadal
Spain's Minister for Energy, Tourism and the Digital Agenda.

10:15-11:00

Setting the Scene: The Digital Economy and the Next Production Revolution

Carlos López Blanco
Global Head of Public & Regulation Affairs, Telefonica.

Dirk Pilat
Deputy-Director for Science, Technology and Innovation, OECD.

11:00-11:30

Break

11:30-13:15

Session 1: Spain and the Digital Transformation

This session will explore how ready Spain is for the digital transformation, in terms of the development and uptake of advanced technologies; the ongoing transformation of the economy, including its level of investment and business dynamics; the available talent and skills; and the policies that can help enable the transformation of the economy. It will also look at the respective roles of different firms (global firms, SMEs, and young innovative firms) in the transformation of the economy, the role of global value chains, and the patterns that are emerging, as well as the position of Spain in this process.

Moderator:
José García Montalvo

José García Montalvo
Professor, Universidad Pompeu Fabra. Barcelona.

Sergio Álvarez Leiva
CPO, CARTO.

Vicente Calzado
Chief Digital Expert, Informática El Corte Inglés.

13:15-14:45

Break

Afternoon session

14:45-16:45

Session 2: Adjusting to the digital transformation

This session will examine how countries can adjust to the transformative potential of the next production revolution, in particular as regards the expected employment impacts, the emerging skills needs, and how policy can help in ensuring that this process is inclusive and supports overall wellbeing.

Moderador:
Dirk Pilat

José Ramón Magarzo Executive Chairman of ALTRAN España y Portugal.

Carsten Sørensen
Associate Professor of Information Systems and Innovation, London School of Economics.

José Luis Zimmermann
General director, ADIGITAL.

Alejandro Tosina
Digital Economy Director, Red.es.

16:45-17:00

Break

17:00-18:45

Session 3: Policy panel - drawing the benefits from the digital transformation

This session will explore the policy implications from the workshop and will seek to draw some conclusions for Spanish policy in this context. It will involve a moderated panel discussion with speakers from the Spanish government, business, academia and the OECD.

Moderador:
Alfonso Novales
Social Sciences Council. Fundación Ramón Areces.

Giovanni Dosi
Profesor de la Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna. Pisa.

José Molero
Professor, Universidad Complutense. Madrid.

Dirk Pilat
Deputy-Director for Science, Technology and Innovation, OECD.

José Manuel Leceta
General director, Red.es.

18:45-19:00