"Project 2012 – Why 2012 will turn the world upside down" – Goal is to prepare decision makers for impending global political and economic changes

• Roland Berger Strategy Consultants launches "Project 2012" to analyze the global impact of elections and leadership changes in 2012
• In 2012, leading economic forces such as China, France, Russia and the US will appoint new governmental leaders
• Those four countries alone generate currently more than 40% of global GDP
• Worldwide, 24 countries including India, Spain and Mexico will appoint new political leaders – together they account for some 50% of world GDP
• Together with the Yale World Fellows Program and Haute Ecole de Commerce (HEC), the implications of the upcoming political changes are being analyzed to support decision makers for an eventful 2012

2012 will be a year of exceptional political changes: 24 countries worldwide will appoint new political leaders – among them four major economic powers: China, Russia, France and the US. These concentrated political changes will directly affect some 53% of the world's population and could have profound implications for political and economic developments all over the world. More than 50% of global GDP will be directly affected. Roland Berger Strategy Consultants is coordinating "Project 2012", a global knowledge collaboration that looks at the core issues affecting business and politics in 2012 and beyond.

For the first time in history, leading economic powers such as China, France, Russia and the US are likely to announce a new political leader in the same year. "In normal times such a coincidence would hardly be worth mentioning," says Charles-Edouard Bouée, Partner and Member of the Executive Committee of Roland Berger. "But as we are living in a time of great economic and political turbulence, the political changes in 2012 will in some cases lead to changes in government that will affect the whole global economy. This may cause some instability, but could also open up new opportunities for development."

New agenda for decision makers

Significant changes to the global political and economic environment require decision makers to adjust their strategies and approaches. Events such as the financial crisis in the US, political unrest in the Arab world and environmental disasters of the kind suffered by Japan in 2011 have shown how local occurrences can affect the global economy through globalization. "Global events in 2012 will herald great changes", said Michael Cappello, Director of the Yale World Fellows Program. "To arrive at a comprehensive view of potential scenarios for 2012, we must look closely at various dimensions of global interaction: politics, business, health, the availability of raw materials and demographics in various regions. Each will have a major impact on economic development."

Collaboration for excellence

A team of experts from business, science, politics and sociology coordinated by Roland Berger is dedicating their efforts to the collaboration entitled "Project 2012". The team analyzes individual countries as well as economic and ecological macrotrends and how they affect global developments, and derives adaptive strategies from the findings. 205 Yale World Fellows from 78 countries across six continents as well as the Haute Ecole de Commerce (HEC) in Paris will contribute to the research. Other universities and experts from around the globe are invited to join in. "We are on the verge of an immense global change," Bernard Ramanantsoa, Dean of HEC Paris. "This calls for an in-depth analysis of current developments and potential political and economic scenarios. In this way, decision makers in politics and business can thoroughly prepare themselves for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead."