Money, money, money, money. This is usually the main focus of economics. The digital numbers that float around represent all the different economic forces at play. Money determines how large companies can grow, how much infrastructure a society can develop, how much food it's people can obtain and how much they can buy. More money usually means less problems through the economic lens.
Society is far more complicated than simply its spending habits though. Things like love, family values, morals, ideologies, and culture also have an enormous impact on the daily lives of people within any given social structure.
I recently read about the decline of marriage rates in many parts of East Asia. Women within those societies are expected to maintain their roles as the primary caregivers and caretakers of the home despite the increased need for women in the workforce. It is no wonder that the women would rather not marry to maintain their sense of entitlement and personal freedom.
This is one example of cultural values interacting with economic forces. With the increase in economic development and growth the peoples of Asia require increased man AND woman power. Despite these economic changes the cultural values remain the same. As a result the culture itself will change and the values will have to adapt. With less women willing to marry it might force the men to reconsider their roles as simply providers. This has already happened in Western society.
Women have gained huge ground in the power struggle against men, and have broken all sorts of stereotypes regarding gender roles. Women match, or even outweigh, men in many different fields and are competing on nearly equal grounds. For instance, more women obtain university degrees than men in some areas. As a result there has been an increase in dual-income families and a reduction in the number of children. There are even hints of role reversals with an increased number of stay-at-home dads. This is something I see happening in Asia in the near future once the status quo is brought into question.
Other interesting changes happening all around the world is a gradual shift towards socialist models. The US is attempting to introduce more publicly funded programs. Canada is showing a rise of interest in privatized healthcare. China is showing a greater desire for individual freedom over communal ideals. India is trying to reduce its levels of corruption. The uprisings in the Middle East also show a shift of power from the top to the bottom.
Outside of politics there are shifts in music, video, and gaming culture. People no longer accept what is created by the big production companies and are forming their own grassroots media from the ground up. At the same time the various types of entertainment are being saturated, and because of this people simply choose their favorite genres and support those. It is no longer about which is most available since they are all have easy access.
The same thing is happening with the job market. It is more about finding the right job for you rather than the one with the most openings. Many job markets are almost equally competitive partly because of the strain of recession, but partly because they are saturated.
With the global economy seeing a possible long-term stall there will likely be a cultural shift from the focus on money as the main motivation factor to individual preference and social values. The capitalist era has likely run its course, which I see as a good thing. Adopting more socialist values will (hopefully) create a greater sense of fairness and harmony among the peoples. Along side this will be a shift from financial competition to more creative competition. With less money going around people will need to be more creative and less forceful to earn it. At least that is the hope