Rising income inequality is the cause of economic and social ills, from low consumption to social and political unrest. Yet little in the way of concrete policy guidance has emerged to channel economic growth into improvements in living standards. After one of the worst financial and economic crises in history, business leaders and policy-makers are looking to reform approaches and growth models. But what is the most effective way to embrace long-term competitiveness while strengthening the contribution of growth to broad-based progress in living standards?

The World Economic Forum’s System Initiative on Shaping the Future of Economic Growth and Social Inclusion aims to accelerate public-private collaboration towards more competitive and inclusive economies around the world by:

– Enhancing the understanding of competitiveness and inclusive growth, and informing multistakeholder action on these issues

– Facilitating public-private collaboration to address shortcomings in the competitiveness and inclusive growth performance of particular economies and regions

– Supporting the broad diffusion and adoption of corporate social innovation (CSI) practices in the private sector

– Raising awareness of how people experience and are affected by challenges pertaining to economic growth and social inclusion, and invoking stakeholder participation