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Curated by Project Syndicate

Davos 2015

18 commentaries

As the World Economic Forum convenes in Davos, much attention will be devoted to the usual suspects: Russia, China, the Middle East, and the eurozone. But other global risks – including protracted war, epidemics, inequality, and environmental disasters – have also come into view.

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  1. Facing Down Mental Illness
    Depression man park Chris Connelly/Flickr

    Facing Down Mental Illness

    Jan 28, 2015 Thomas Insel charts progress in combating one of the oldest and most widespread sources of human misery.

  2. Fanatics, Charlatans, and Economists
    Recession Economic Growth Inequality Peter Werkman/Flickr

    Fanatics, Charlatans, and Economists

    Jan 27, 2015 Jean-Marie Guéhenno traces today's extremism and terrorism to the post-Cold War eclipse of politics by market logic.

  3. Safe Driving for Fast Companies
    Car side mirror broken Viola Ng/Flickr

    Safe Driving for Fast Companies

    Jan 27, 2015 Estelle Metayer identifies two blind spots that can cause businesses to be run off the road.

  4. Emergency Education Now
    Syrian refugee camp children UNHCR/S. Baldwin/Flickr

    Emergency Education Now

    Jan 27, 2015 Gordon Brown calls for the establishment of a permanent fund to keep millions of refugee children in school.

  5. LGBT at Work
    LGBT parade David Yu/Flickr

    LGBT at Work

    Jan 26, 2015 Beth Brooke-Marciniak urges companies to shift their cultural focus from "diversity" to "inclusiveness."

  6. Can China Avoid Deflation?
    Chinese Premier Li Keqiang Chinese Premier Li Keqiang/Rao Aimin/ZumaPress

    Can China Avoid Deflation?

    Jan 26, 2015 Yao Yang assesses Premier Li Keqiang's pledge in Davos to stop the Chinese economy's slide.

  1. goldberg28_DENIS BALIBOUSEPOOLAFP via Getty Images_wto Denis Balibouse/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

    Why Have Developing Countries Soured on Multilateralism?

    Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg traces the roots of dissatisfaction to advanced economies' use of bodies like the World Trade Organization.
  2. stiglitz331_serggnGetty Images_techregulation serggn/Getty Images

    A Big Defeat for Big Tech

    Joseph E. Stiglitz

    Tech companies know that if there is an open, democratic debate about data security, consumers’ concerns about digital safeguards will win out. And while the industry's lobbyists tried to ensure that no such debate could ever occur, one of their more cynical moves has now been exposed and thwarted.

    details how the industry tried to slip extraordinary protections against regulation into US trade agreements.
  3. zizek27_Giles ClarkeGetty Images_jimmycherizier Giles Clarke/Getty Images

    Haiti’s Proud Boys

    Slavoj Žižek

    If we measure a failed state by the cracks in the edifice of its power, reflected in brewing ideological civil wars, deadlocked assemblies, and increasingly insecure public spaces, we must recognize that the United States is not so unlike Haiti. Both have given rise to violent gangs with political ambitions.

    warns that rich Western democracies are not immune to politically motivated gang violence.
  4. hedegaard11_y Dursun AydemirAnadolu via Getty Images_parliament elections Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images

    Unity Is Europe’s Greatest Asset

    Connie Hedegaard emphasizes the importance of stability amid persistent economic and geopolitical crises.
  5. qian34_PEDRO PARDOAFP via Getty Images_immigration PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images

    The Truth About US Immigration

    Nancy Qian warns that overheated campaign-season rhetoric is dangerously polarizing and ultimately self-defeating.
  6. mueller51_ David McNewGetty Images_gop trump David McNew/Getty Images

    The Zombification of Political Parties

    Jan-Werner Mueller argues that Donald Trump’s capture of the GOP’s organizational machinery recalls authoritarian tactics elsewhere.
  7. basu100_David Dee DelgadoGetty Images_newyork David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

    The Economic Consequences of Legal Behavior

    Kaushik Basu highlights the potential benefits of emphasizing adherence to the spirit of laws, if not their letter.
  8. brown106_KOLA SULAIMONAFP via Getty Images_nigeriaschool Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images

    For Nigeria’s Schools, Safety Must Come First

    Gordon Brown writes that the latest mass abduction of students underscores the dilemma facing parents throughout the country.
  9. owoo1_disabled iStock / Getty Images Plus

    Give Women with Disabilities a Chance

    Nkechi S. Owoo explains what is needed to protect and empower one of the world’s most vulnerable demographic groups.

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