17 must-read stories for the weekend

Can Africa match China for growth? Could tried and tested policies from another regional giant take the continent to the next level?

Corruption is a major cause of inequality. Cultural tolerance is a major cause of corruption. Why is culture the hardest thing to change?

Is the G7 carbon-free pledge really worth anything? Ending the global economy’s dependence on fossil fuels will be a complex process. But it will create opportunities in unexpected places.

Real markets need real regulations. One central banker thinks informal rules and codes breed misconduct and mistrust, and cause more economic damage and instability than we think.

Has the ECB’s gamble on quantitative easing paid off? Six months after the central bank launched its controversial programme, the results are in.

In our podcast this week: the ideas and insights behind our Africa meeting, from the continent’s growth challenges through gender equality, future technology, to refugee and migration issues.

Cape Town characterised. “What I observed at the Forum was a very sincere effort to find solutions, and particularly uniquely African solutions, to overcome challenges and thereby create opportunities.” (Eyewitness News)

How women can rebuild Nepal. The patriarchal country, which performs poorly in the Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report, should look to its female population to lead the recovery effort. (Time)

Insights from the Forum’s meeting in Cape Town. (Wall Street Journal)

Plugging a $64 billion infrastructure gap. Forum research finds Brazil’s infrastructure to be among the worst in the world. The country’s president is calling on private investors to help change that. (The Economist)

Nine inspiring quotes about equality from the World Economic Forum on Africa. (AFKInsider)

Has globalisation lost its way? Global trade growth used to be double that of GDP, now the two are level. Changes in China, where exporters are sourcing more from home, suggest a shift in global value chains. Export-oriented emerging markets need to plan ahead.

Science breakthroughs from artificial intelligence. In a first for AI, a computer generated its own theory to solve a puzzle that has baffled biologists for 120 years.

Austerity versus growth. New IMF research argues that reducing debt can cost up to 10x the benefits.

Does employee surveillance monitor stress or increase it?Wristbands and headsets that can monitor activity levels are becoming more common. The promise is greater welfare for workers and increased productivity. But privacy concerns are a major downside for workplace wearables.

The code that runs computers rules our world. But what is it?

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

Image: Rooftops of Rabat’s Medina are seen from atop a hotel that is being reconstructed September 25, 2014. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj