Agenda

The stories shaping the Global, Regional and Industry agendas

Global Agenda

Digital Economy and Society

An economist explains how to value the internet

Traditional GDP cannot measure the value of digital goods, making it increasingly irrelevant

Erik Brynjolfsson and Ceri Parker 23 May 2019

Mental Health

Factory workers are facing a mental health crisis. Here's how to respond

Greater empathy, better nutrition and mindfulness-based exercise are just three ways we could boost the wellbeing of factory workers – and avert a looming mental health apocalypse.

James Dacosta and Alana Strassfield 23 May 2019

Fourth Industrial Revolution

How technology can help us achieve universal healthcare

No government, NGO or company alone can solve the challenges that stand in the way of achieving universal health coverage by 2030. To do so, we must embrace the power of technology and digital tools.

Henk de Jong 21 May 2019

Sustainable Development

We must help developing countries escape commodity dependence

Largely a developing world phenomenon, commodity dependence often correlates with vulnerability and poverty. How can we help countries escape from this trap?

Pamela Coke-Hamilton 17 May 2019

Blockchain

Here's how blockchain could stop corrupt officials from stealing school lunches

Technology can improve transparency in public procurement and help monitor contractors’ performance over time

Cathy Barrera, Stephanie Hurder, and Ashley Lannquist 17 May 2019

Oceans

We need to deep clean the oceans. Here's how to pay for it

Our oceans are running out of breath, and we are running out of time to save them. Could 'blue funds' be the answer?

Ingrid van Wees 17 May 2019

Global Risks

What keeps me up at night? Two strategists reply

Disruptive change and a savings crisis are among the concerns of those attending WEF’s Industry Strategy Meeting

Karen Karniol-Tambour and Daria Krivonos 16 May 2019

Africa

5 ways to champion vulnerable languages

Language policy in African education systems needs to be inclusive, ensuring that children get the opportunity to learn in their mother tongue.

H. Ekkehard Wolff · The Conversation 16 May 2019

Climate Change

How India is solving its cooling challenge

As the planet heats up, societies are looking for a way to cool the most vulnerable without adding to climate change. Nowhere is this double-headed problem more severe than India.

Radhika Lalit and Ankit Kalanki 15 May 2019

Regional Agenda

Africa

Biodiesel from cotton waste – how Kenyan farmers are fighting drought

Erratic rainfall in Kenya makes the country susceptible to long droughts and food insecurity, but an innovative new biodiesel could help combat this.

Sanjoy Sanyal · World Resources Institute 08 May 2019

Climate Change

This is the million-year history of the Australian continent

The Australian continent has a remarkable history — a story of isolation, desiccation and resilience on an ark at the edge of the world.

Alan Cooper, Darren Curnoe, Michael Bird, Chris Turney, Lynette Russell, and Sean Ulm · The Conversation 29 Apr 2019

Global Health

Better sanitation for India is in the pipeline

In some poverty-stricken states of India, millions are still forced to go to the toilet in the open. National toilet-building campaigns such as the Swachh Bharat Mission can change all this.

Sharmishta Sivaramakrishnan 23 Apr 2019

United States

In the United States, there aren't enough hours in the week to make rent

These data maps show how American house prices have soared while wages stayed largely the same.

John Letzing and Andrew Berkley 12 Apr 2019

Middle East and North Africa

These are the biggest risks facing the Middle East and North Africa

Business leaders consider energy price shocks, unemployment and terrorist attacks as some of the gravest threats facing the region.

Ariel Kastner 05 Apr 2019

Middle East and North Africa

Chinese tech investors are turning towards MENA. Here's why

As the MENA economies transition from carbon to knowledge, and with total internet penetration surpassing 60% in the region, Chinese venture capitalists and angel investors are starting t...

Stephany Zoo 05 Apr 2019

Middle East and North Africa

MENA’s growing young population is a huge opportunity – if we get it right

The youth population across the MENA region is set to increase, expanding the share of the working-age population. This is a huge opportunity for the region's economic and social developm...

Geert Cappelaere 04 Apr 2019

Big Data

We underestimate the power of data at our peril. This is why

Collecting data is not enough. It’s mining it – making sense of it and transforming it into valuable business intelligence – that’s crucial.

Hani Weiss 02 Apr 2019

Middle East and North Africa

MENA’s start-up scene is taking off. Here’s how investors can join in

The potential for entrepreneurship in MENA is high, based on digital consumption and a startling increase in investment funding for start-ups.

Omar El Hamamsy, Ahmad Alkasmi, Luay Khoury, and Abdur-Rahim Syed 02 Apr 2019

Industry Agenda

Workforce and Employment

Working when sick is rising and harms you and your employer. This is why

New research shows more people are turning up to work when they’re ill – and the cost to business can be huge.

Douglas Broom 02 May 2019

Decarbonizing Energy

Hydrogen power is here to stay. How do we convince the public that it’s safe?

It's a clean and viable replacement for fossil fuels in transport, energy storage and power-to-gas applications. But public doubts around hydrogen safety are contributing to the delay in ...

Bart Kolodziejczyk and Wee-Liat Ong 25 Apr 2019

Climate Change

How electrification can supercharge the energy transition

Electrification is critical for decarbonization – and low-carbon electricity is the best candidate energy carrier to help us meet the terms of the Paris Agreement.

Davide Puglielli 25 Apr 2019

Cybersecurity

Why global collaboration is needed to protect against a new generation of cyber threats

Cybercriminals are hijacking our web traffic and diverting it to malicious websites. To overcome this new threat, and others like it, will require collaboration on a global scale.

Amy Jordan 25 Apr 2019

Inclusive Growth Framework

What companies gain by including persons with disabilities

By sharing success stories and showing how to build a more inclusive talent pipeline, we can quickly get more persons with disabilities into the workforce.

Chad Jerdee 23 Apr 2019

Artificial Intelligence and Robotics

Professor Robot – why AI could soon be teaching in university classrooms

It’s said that automation will threaten more than 800 million jobs worldwide by 2030, including in higher education.

The Conversation 23 Apr 2019

Financial and Monetary Systems

5 charts on the vulnerabilities in the global economy - and why we should worry about them

If financial conditions remain easy for too long, vulnerabilities will continue to build, and the odds of a sharp drop in economic growth at some later point will be higher.

Tobias Adrian and Fabio M. Natalucci · IMF Direct 23 Apr 2019

Cybersecurity

Why securing the Internet of Things is crucial to the Fourth Industrial Revolution

There are major risks associated with the proliferation of connected devices that capture our data.

Amy Jordan 16 Apr 2019

Leadership

7 skills every leader needs in times of disruption

From countering pessimism to making good decisions fast, here's how to lead in times of great change.

Simon Freakley 04 Apr 2019