Which service systems are changing with globalization/deglobalization?
May 13 @ 7:00 am - 8:00 am
Chairs: David Ing and Gary Metcalf. ISSIP Ambassadors to Creative Systemic Research Platform Institute (CSRP Institute)
The KOF Economic Institute at ETH Zurich charted globalization with rapid growth through the 1990s, that now appears to have slowed. The slope of KOF Globalization Index has flattened through the 2008 Financial Crisis, the 2020-2021 COVID-19 pandemic, and responses to the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. They pose the question: “Is Globalization at its end?”
| Year | Index |
| 1991 | 43.56 |
| 2001 | 49.58 |
| 2011 | 55.32 |
| 2022 | 57.01 |
The service economy employed 35.2% of the world in 1991, and 49.7% of the world in 2022 (International Labour Organization 2025). Has globalization reached its peak? Which service systems are likely most impacted by deglobalization? What is the impact on enterprises and workers?
Join this Roundtable on Systems in Services to share perspectives and gain insight collectively. The Roundtable operates much like a call-in radio show in the analog age. Discussion is sparked by a few discussants providing a systems lens on services. A moderator monitors online chat, and draws participants in to voice their comments. The session concludes with reflections in key insights surfaced.
Slideshows and manifestos are discouraged. An open systems approach may generate new connections, both conceptually and socially, across ISSIP members. Recordings of each session will be posted on ISSIP video channels.
References:
- KOF Swiss Economic Institute (2025) “Is Globalization at its end?” https://kof.ethz.ch/en/forecasts-and-indicators/indicators/kof-globalisation-index.html
- International Labour Organization (2025) – processed by Our World in Data https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-employment-agriculture-industry-services?tab=table