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James Dator and Jack Suyderhoud, two University of Hawaii professors, map the long-range forces bearing down on Hawaii. Dator, a futures studies specialist, distinguishes between predicting the future and understanding how present decisions shape it, and describes Newt Gingrich — whom he has met — as one of the most effective applied futurists he has encountered, having articulated 20 years ago the revolution he is now carrying out. The central tension is whether Hawaii can or should insulate itself from global economic forces or find a niche within them. Suyderhoud, an economist who sits on the State Council on Revenues, argues that geography is becoming less relevant and that Hawaii's future hinges on access to information and education. Dator worries that the information economy may produce meaningful employment for only 20 to 50 percent of the population, leaving the rest marginalized. Both agree democracy is structurally biased toward short-term thinking, and Dator calls for a new statewide futures exercise analogous to the Hawaii 2000 process of 1970. Callers raise Hawaiian sovereignty, global migration, genetic engineering, carrying capacity, and the case for forestry as agriculture declines.
Transcript
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Companion newspaper commentaries
Commentaries by the guests, published in The Honolulu Advertiser around the broadcast.
