Brain health is a critical aspect of human well-being, affecting cognitive abilities, socioemotional stability, and overall quality of life. However, the growing prevalence of brain disorders is taking a steep economic toll. Brain health plays an increasingly critical role in an economy predicated on “Brain Capital” (which encompasses an individual’s social, emotional, and cognitive resources). Global economies are becoming increasingly dependent on Brain Capital, whereby a premium is placed on brain skills (both cognitive and non-cognitive) and brain health.
The Brain Capital Grand Strategy was launched in early 2021 and urged the need for Brain Capital in all policies, for more investment in Brain Capital, and a global dashboard to monitor essential trends for more informed policymaking. Within the same period, the OECD Neuroscience-inspired Policy Initiative (NIPI) was launched by the then OECD Secretary-General, Angel Gurria, and Admiral William H. McRaven
This paper presents the Global Brain Capital Dashboard which has been developed by the OECD NIPI, Brain Capital Alliance, the EMEA team, and the Global Brain Capital Dashboard Working Group since mid-2021.
The Dashboard aims to quantify and track Brain Capital as well as provide a platform to inspire novel policy innovation. The paper follows the structure of the dashboard. It describes Brain Capital and then presents evidence around the relevance of the selected pillars and dimensions. It concludes by offering a vision of what is next for the Brain Capital Dashboard.
The Global Brain Capital Dashboard was official launched at the Science Summit of the 78th United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, September 19th, 2023. Prof. Rym Ayadi, EMEA President, CEPS Senior Advisor, and co-founder of the Brain Capital Alliance, launched the Brain Capital Dashboard during her keynote speech in a session entitled, “Brain Capital Building: Brain Deals to Meet SDGs by 2030”.
Published at: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-global-brain-capital-dashboard/
The paper has also been published by Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/research/global-brain-capital-dashboard
