The Long Run Institute
USING THE PAST TO SHAPE THE FUTURE
THE LONG RUN INSTITUTE
The Long Run Institute (LRI) is an independent, non-profit forum for academic experts, business leaders & public policymakers. It provides insights from the historical analysis of long-run forces and trends to provide context and deepen understanding of the grand challenges facing businesses and government.
We believe that by understanding the past, we can better appreciate the processes that have created the present and how they will shape the future trajectory of businesses, economies and societies.
Through the organisation of high-impact events, the LRI creates a platform for dialogue to exchange knowledge and stimulate ideas, giving participants the opportunity to reflect on and discuss parallels from the past, and consider how these lessons apply to their own organizations.
NEWS & ARTICLES
New Report: “Applying History to Inform Anticipatory AI Governance”
We are pleased to share an important new report from RAND Corporation and the Long Run Institute: “Applying History to Inform Anticipatory AI Governance: Using Foresight and Hindsight to Inform Policymaking.” This publication represents the culmination of a two-year collaboration between RAND and the LRI, bringing together Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Robert J. Lempert and Dr. Jonathan W. Welburn with Professor Michael Aldous and Dr. Laurence B. Mussio to explore how historical analysis can inform AI governance frameworks.
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A new nationalism is emerging in Canada
Dr. Laurence B. Mussio, writing for The Globe and Mail, examines historical and contemporary expressions of Canadian nationalism in response to external threats, drawing parallels between the 19th and 21st centuries. With specific examples he argues that Canada’s historical resilience in the face of existential threats suggests a capacity for unity and sacrifice, even in a modern context where economic dependency on the U.S. poses challenges to independence.
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Decoding Trump’s trade strategy: The historical pattern beneath the headlines
Dr. Marvin Suesse and Dr. Laurence B. Mussio, writing In The Globe and Mail, analyze the underlying logic of Donald Trump’s trade policies through three competing interpretations: a Bluff Thesis, a Reckless Driver Theory and as a Geopolitical Realignment Strategy. However, they suggest that Trump’s policies are less about foreign threats and more about punishing “globalist” elites within the U.S. and echo other historical patterns. Ultimately, economic nationalism isn’t an anomaly but a recurring force, and businesses and policymakers must recognize and adapt to these cycles.
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Today’s North American economic nationalism isn’t unprecedented – it’s a pattern
In this Globe and Mail opinion piece, Dr. Laurence B. Mussio and Dr. Marvin Suesse argue that the current rise of economic nationalism in North America, exemplified by U.S. tariffs and trade tensions, is not unprecedented but part of a recurring historical pattern. Since 1840, North America has experienced at least five major cycles of economic nationalism, often triggered by a combination of domestic political shifts, technological disruption, and geopolitical tensions. Today, the key difference is the deep economic integration between Canada and the U.S., making the stakes that much higher. However, it is clear that history also offers hope.
Read ArticleUPCOMING EVENTS 2025
Pictured at a recent invitation-only event held at Canada House in London, from left to right, LRI Chair Dr. Laurence B. Mussio with LRI Directors Dr. Michael Aldous and Dr. Judy Stephenson. The event was organized in conjunction with the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership
The LRI is constantly engaged in planning and producing high-impact discussions for senior scholars and decision makers engaged in the corporate and public policy arenas on critical contemporary challenges. Sometimes the discussions are public, but frequently they are intimate, invitation-only events, conducted under the Chatham House Rule. As such, we post about them after the fact and do not advertise ahead of time.
Managing Extreme Risk and Uncertainty in an Increasingly Volatile World
The video clips below are taken from a Long Run Institute conference, 'Managing Extreme Risk and Uncertainty in an Increasingly Volatile World', recorded live on 24 September 2021.
