Where we don't have certainty, we have scenarios. China and India become software powerhouses. The gap between rich and poor widens, but telemedicine, tele-education and telebusiness partnerships spur developing countries' economies. World Trade Organization-sponsored global social safety nets discourage masses of poor from migrating. The sharp disparity in personal income between richest and poorest nations widens, from 50 to 1 today to 80 to 1 by 2025.
Migration rises, creating tension.
By 2025, global corporations step in to develop more skilled workers, offer venture capital, etc. The problem is jobs. Population growth outstrips jobs growth in much of the world. In the rich countries, living standards stagnate. By 2025, trade wars envelope the regional economic blocs.