The Next Age of Uncertainty, Stephen Poloz
The Next Age of Uncertainty, Stephen Poloz
List: $27.00 | Sale: $18.89
Club: $13.50

The Next Age of Uncertainty
How the World Can Adapt to a Riskier Future

Author: Stephen Poloz

Narrator: Stephen Poloz

Unabridged: 9 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Allen Lane

Published: 02/22/2022


Synopsis

*WINNER OF THE 2023 NATIONAL BUSINESS BOOK AWARD*
*FINALIST FOR THE 2023 OTTAWA BOOK AWARD*
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE SHAUGHNESSY COHEN PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING*
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 DONNER PRIZE*

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

From the former Governor of the Bank of Canada, a far-seeing guide to the powerful economic forces that will shape the decades ahead.

The economic ground is shifting beneath our feet. The world is becoming more volatile, and people are understandably worried about their financial futures. In this urgent and accessible guide to the crises and opportunities that lie ahead, economist and former Governor of the Bank of Canada Stephen Poloz maps out the powerful tectonic forces that are shaping our future, and the ideas that will allow us to master them.

These forces include an aging workforce, mounting debt, and rising income inequality. Technological advances, too, are adding to the pressure, putting people out of work, and climate change is forcing a transition to a lower-carbon economy. It is no surprise that people are feeling uncertain.

The implications of these tectonic tensions will cascade throughout every dimension of our lives—the job market, the housing market, the investment climate, as well as government and central bank policy, and the role of the corporation within society. The pandemic has added momentum to many of them. 

Poloz skillfully argues that past crises, from the Victorian Depression in the late 1800s to the more recent downturn in 2008, give a hint of what is in store for us in the decades ahead. Unlike the purely destructive power of earthquakes, the upheaval that is sure to come in the decades ahead will offer unexpected opportunities for renewal and growth.

Filled with takeaways for employers, investors, and policymakers, as well as families discussing jobs and mortgage renewals around the kitchen table, The Next Age of Uncertainty is an indispensable guide for those navigating the fault lines of the risky world ahead.

About The Author

STEPHEN POLOZ is one of the world’s foremost economists with over 40 years of experience in economic and investment research, forecasting, banking, and policymaking, including seven years as Governor of the Bank of Canada. Today, he is a Special Advisor for Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, a corporate director, and Chair of the Advisory Board of the Lawrence National Centre, Ivey School of Business, Western University. He is a sought-after speaker for business and investor audiences and is quoted frequently in the news media. Poloz was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2024.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jing on September 11, 2022

This was an incredibly insightful book by one of Canada’s least appreciated Bank of Canada governors, Stephen Poloz. I have to admit, I did not know much about him after he took the helm from Mark Carney. However, each chapter begins with a little personal story about himself that is both amusing an......more

Goodreads review by Tom on September 12, 2022

Stephen Poloz ,a former Governor of the Bank of Canada, reminds us in The Next Age of Uncertainty that large structural forces shape our economic future( he concentrates on five) anyone of which is a challenge but the five together- demography, technology, climate change, debt and inequality- may be......more

Goodreads review by Lowen on July 08, 2022

It was quite interesting to read from the perspective of the former governor of the bank of Canada, I was surprised by his sense of humour. The book was directed more towards government and corporate action than civilian, however, there were many applicable concepts. This book definitely challenged......more

Goodreads review by Tom on September 19, 2024

Helped me understand some of the larger dynamics (tectonic forces, as Poloz calls them) effecting us today. “Everyone could see that economic instability was already on the rise long before COVID-19 came along. This was due to the growing influence of tectonic forces operating beneath the surface of......more

Goodreads review by Lia Preyde on February 13, 2023

I did it.......more


Quotes

*WINNER OF THE 2023 NATIONAL BUSINESS BOOK AWARD*
*FINALIST FOR THE 2023 OTTAWA BOOK AWARD*

*SHORTLISTED FOR THE SHAUGHNESSY COHEN PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING*
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 DONNER PRIZE*


Praise for The Next Age of Uncertainty:

“Engaging and infused with humour, The Next Age of Uncertainty is a breakdown of economic chokepoints by a former Bank of Canada governor who isn’t afraid to let his personality shine. Stephen Poloz has crafted a timely and eminently readable examination and explanation of the major issues that will define monetary policy and its impact on Canadians’ wallets for years to come. If knowledge is power, those who plan for and want to understand the potentially shaky ground ahead would be well-armed with Poloz’s take on the future landscape.”
—Shaughnessy Cohen Prize jury


"There are powerful forces at work that will influence how we live and invest in the years to come. In The Next Age of Uncertainty, Stephen Poloz not only describes what those forces are, but draws a precise road-map for navigating them. The Next Age of Uncertainty isn't just a book for economists, it's a book for anyone who wants to make better decisions."
Amanda Lang, Anchor, BNN Bloomberg and national bestselling author of The Power of Why and The Beauty of Discomfort

“Stephen Poloz is as classic a Canadian success story as you are likely to find. Rising from middle-class roots in Oshawa to becoming Governor of the Bank of Canada, he has amassed a wealth of experience on how to navigate challenging economic times. In his book, The Next Age of Uncertainty, Poloz distills his four decades of economic and leadership experience to a series of essential insights about how the economy works and where it might go. Using his trademark blend of analysis, anecdote, and humor, this book will become required reading for anyone interested in the forces shaping our collective economic future.”
David Detomasi, Distinguished Faculty Fellow of International Business, Smith School of Business, and Academic Director, School of Policy Studies, Queen’s University, author of Profits and Power: Navigating the Politics and Geopolitics of Oil

“Stephen Poloz is one of the most experienced economists, who has never lost touch with the world around him. In The Next Age of Uncertainty he gives an ingenious yet humble account of the economic forces that will define our future and our everyday decisions. Having lived through the major economic crises of the past decades, Stephen brilliantly connects the past with the future and economic theory with real life and personal anecdotes. It is this all-embracing approach that makes this book a fascinating read, not just for policymakers but for everybody who wants to understand what the future holds.”
—Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank and former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund

“Stephen Poloz’s The Next Age of Uncertainty combines invaluable historical insights with provocative reflections on the economy of the futurea must read for policy makers wishing to avoid the mistakes of the past and facing the tectonic forces sweeping Canada and the world.”
Thomas d’Aquino C.M., LL.D., founding CEO of the Business Council of Canada, and author of Private Power, Public Purpose: Adventures in Business, Politics, and the Arts

“[The Next Age of Uncertainty] calls on business to do what politicians won’t: Save the economy. . . . There’s plenty in Poloz’s book that ought to keep Canada's leaders awake at night. He sees five meta-trends that are about to collide in potentially violent ways that will reshape the economy and society, just like tectonic plates have been reshaping Earth for millennia.”
Financial Post

“[A]n indispensable guide.”
Next Big Idea Club

“[O]ne of the best political books in the country.”
—The Hill Times

“[This is] what I’m reading this summer.”
—François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of innovation, science, and industry, Government of Canada


Awards

  • National Business Book Award
  • Ottawa Book Award for Non-Fiction
  • Shaughnessy Cohen Award for Political Writing
  • The Donner Prize