It is "a new economic era where the main source of national wealth is no longer resource rent but the socio-economic infrastructure that allows every person to realise his or her intellectual or creative potential.
"[2] But, according to Fridman – based on his observations of recent economic indicators, political and market volatility, and historical patterns – it is also an era that will generate winners and losers as lagging countries and groups fail to adapt quickly enough.
"[2] In an April 2016 article in RealClearPolitics and reprinted in the Jerusalem Post, Fridman wrote: We are entering a disruptive era driven by extraordinary levels of human creativity.
[3]LetterOne's Global Perspectives website adds that the indigo symbolism "embodies a breaking of the norm, something that is highly reflective of the new era that we are entering into, one that lacks convention and is driven by innovation.
"[4] In a series of articles published in 2016, Fridman cites the recent extreme volatility in markets,[3] and worldwide political change and instability,[3] as signs of an emerging global shift.
[3][5][6][7] The freedoms, protections, and political and legal frameworks of developed Western countries rest on centuries-long histories, socio-political traditions, and mindsets, and therefore will be difficult to replicate quickly in emerging economies.
[8][5][6][7] Fridman singles out India as an emerging country that has adequate legal infrastructure and freedom to probably survive the Indigo shift.
[8][5][6][7] Fridman maintains however that in this ever-changing new economic era, the main source of wealth in a country or region will no longer be a natural resource, but a social infrastructure that will allow everyone to realise their intellectual and creative potential.
"[3][5][6][7] In November 2016 LetterOne launched a journal, Global Perspectives, as a platform to explore "the new emerging economic era, the Indigo era, from different perspectives, including education, religion, politics, economics, history and business" and to examine "global issues through the eyes of leading commentators and business people around the world".
[14] The inaugural issue contained articles by Fridman, Dominic Barton, Michael Bloomberg, Stan Greenberg, Carl Bildt, Vince Cable, Ken Robinson, Brent Hoberman, Alex Klein, Deirdre McCloskey, Yuri Milner, Nick D'Aloisio, Lynda Gratton, Parag Khanna, Ian Goldin, George Freeman, Ian Bremmer, and others.
[19] The five metrics are: creativity and innovation, economic diversity, digital economy, freedom, and stability and legal frameworks,[20][21] which were scored based on over 30 measures from published data sources such as the World Bank, UNESCO, the CIRI Human Rights Data Project, the Center for International Development at Harvard University, and the Global Education Monitoring Report.
[27] The report also included three key findings: Creativity and innovation was the biggest overall driver of high scores; this accentuated the importance of fostering entrepreneurialism and lifelong learning and of investing heavily in people.
[41][45] He also emphasized the importance of factoring in the environment, sustainability, and societal welfare, in addition to calculating the value of goods and services that are provided for free.