This week at the World Economic Forum: May 16

Welcome to this week’s update from the World Economic Forum.

Most shared this week

Who’s coming to the World Economic Forum on East Asia? Find out here, and get up to speed on the issues underlying the programme.

Building a better Internet. What do trust and transparency mean in the digital age? (Report)

On Forum:Blog

Can East Asia avoid a climate catastrophe? Only if government and business get prepared, says Bernice Lee.

Technology drives economic progress. So why do economists have trouble measuring it?

The (renewable) power of cloud computing. Why one Young Global Leader is collecting live data from every wind turbine in India.

We know too little about Nigeria’s missing girls. Global Shaper Salihu Yakasai on his online campaign to humanize the tragedy of #BringBackOurGirls.

It’s not as simple as ditching fossil fuels. A view from the chemical industry on how businesses can embrace sustainability.

The World Economic Forum in the news

Why Philippines hosting WEF East Asia is a big deal. (ABS-CBN News) Its economic success is sparking global interest. Young Filipinos will play their part in shaping the summit.

What India can learn from China.  “India has room to improve. Consider productivity: India’s ranks 60th in the world on the World Economic Forum’s ranking of countries by competitiveness.” (CNN)

Breaking The Impasse, at an impasse? “We’re in a timeout right now – I hope there will be another half.” (Jerusalem Post)

From Davos to Big Sur, Geithner recounts staring into the abyss. (BusinessWeek)

Nigeria: My World Economic Forum takeaways. Lagos governor Babatunde Fashola on #WEFAfrica. (AllAfrica.com)

Reading list

What is it like to attend a conference as a robot? The social experience of telepresence technology.

Tom Friedman’s flat world has square people. “A new global political force is aborning, bigger and more important than Davos Men. I call them The Square People.” We call them Global Shapers, and Davos is just one of the 300+ places around the world you’ll find them.

Global lessons for inclusive growth. A thoughtful speech on inequality from White House economist Jason Furman. Meanwhile, American entrepreneurship is slowly declining, and economists are not sure why.

Economists are no longer market evangelists. They’re market engineers.

The decline of political parties threatens democracy. “Self-interest on the part of multiple constituencies was precisely what made democracy work as a whole.”

Have something for our reading list? Drop me a line.

Coming up next week

On Forum:Blog next week, the world from East Asia as the Forum gathers for the first time in the Philippines. Until then, thanks for reading.

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Author: Adrian Monck is Managing Director of Public Engagement at the World Economic Forum

Image: A general view of the skyline in Manila May 11, 2010. REUTERS/Nicky Lo