4. They’re Scared
Davos attendees are a bit panicked this year because of the global rise of nationalism and populism, and they aim to do something about it. Matthew Campbell and Simon Kennedy wrote in Bloomberg:
This year’s conference agenda makes clear the degree of anxiety. Sessions include a panel of psychology experts offering thoughts on “cultivating appropriate emotions in a time of nationalist populism.” Another, titled “Squeezed and Angry: How to Fix the Middle Class Crisis,” will star International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde alongside hedge fund billionaire Ray Dalio. Separately, Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg and Meg Whitman, chief executive officer of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, will try to stoke optimism in a chat about shaping “a positive narrative for the global community.”
The title of their article is Davos Wonders If It’s Part of the Problem. Perhaps one of the best things to come out of the events of 2016 is that the elites of the WEF are forced to engage in some self-reflection.
