8 must-read economics stories of the week

Welcome to your weekly update – a curated list of some of this week’s most interesting stories on economic growth and social inclusion.

1. This week the Institute of Economics and Peace released this year’s edition of its Global Terrorism Index, quantifying the economic cost of terrorism since 2001. (Institute of Economics and Peace)

2. Social exclusion is a critical factor behind the shocking terrorist attacks on Paris. (Foreign Policy)

3. Top ranked investor analysts are increasingly paying attention to environmental and social sustainability in corporate strategy, while many CEOs fail to address such issues in investor presentations. (Harvard Business Review).

4. Indeed, companies are increasingly incorporating social and environmental objectives into their business strategy, as this article documents. (Knowledge@Wharton)

5. Democrats in the U.S. prioritise tackling income inequality while for Republicans economic growth is the main issue. Yet the main concern should be how to achieve both of those goals at the same time. (Politico)

6. A recent study by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences documents a correlation between income inequality and life spans. (CBS News)

7. How do you know whether economic development programmes are affective? Take a look at this interview with Esther Duflo, development economist and co-founder and co-director of the Abdul Latif Jamel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at MIT. (FT Alphaville)

8. Will commodity prices continue to fall? (Project Syndicate)

Author: Jennifer Blanke is Chief Economist at the World Economic Forum

Image: People sit in a cabin on the Singapore Flyer observatory wheel overlooking the skyline of the central business district in Singapore July 16, 2015. REUTERS/Edgar Su