Your Davos 2017 reading list

3,000 participants, over 400 discussions, and one horribly complicated global backdrop. It can be hard to get a handle on what’s actually being discussed at Davos, which is where Agenda comes in. We’re publishing essays from Davos participants on all the most important topics of the meeting, from the failings of capitalism to the rise of the robots.

Five priorities for leaders in 2017. Professor Klaus Schwab has consistently argued that the gains of globalization need to be spread more broadly through society. Here he outlines how to take action this year.

“Leadership has no title, no age group and has very little to do with whether or not you are an elected official or CEO of a company,” writes Zamantungwa Khumalo, a youth activist and broadcaster.

2016 was the deadliest year for refugees. Leaders have the opportunity to get it right in 2017, writes David Miliband, President of the International Rescue Committee.

Leadership lessons from history. Think long term: the past shows the patterns amid the noise of current events, writes Margaret MacMillan of Oxford University.

The girl in the river. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on how her documentary about honour killings prompted a change in Pakistan’s law, and the role of artists in holding power to account.

China’s role in the world. To open up or to close? To advance or go back? The global economy is at a crossroads, writes Chinese Minister Jiang Jianguo.

The devastating impact of anti-globalization. Protectionism in the West is taking a terrible toll on the developing world, writes economist Dambisa Moyo.

Yes, this is the Asian century. But there’s still cause for Western optimism. The human condition has never been better, writes Kishore Mahbubani of the National University of Singapore

Cities are rewriting global politics and economics. Some of them are rivaling nation states in power and influence, writes Robert Muggah of the Igarapé Institute.

Globalization has left people behind. This is what we should do about it. The problem stretches back to the 1980s, writes the economist Diane Coyle.

Why we should all have a basic income. It’s like social security for everyone, and the idea is taking root across the entire political spectrum, writes the economist Scott Santens.

Eight men own as much wealth as half the world. This is the hallmark of an economic system that has forgotten about people, writes Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of Oxfam.

The one change we need to build a fairer economy. Ten Davos experts share their thoughts.

Market capitalism isn’t working. The financial crisis morphed into a political crisis because we haven’t reformed a broken system, writes John Evans of the Trade Union Advisory Committee.

These are the most inclusive economies in the world. Some countries are better than others at sharing wealth. Norway tops the list in our Inclusive Growth report.

This is why China has the edge in Artificial Intelligence. Kaifu Lee, CEO of Sinovation Ventures, on his country’s role in developing “the greatest opportunity in human history.”

Three ways business leaders can use AI ethically. Start by retraining the workers whose jobs will be displaced, writes Maria Grazia Pecorari of BT.

The jobless world and its discontents. The future may have much less work. We need to prepare for profound changes, writes Andrew Chakhoyan of VimpelCom.

The factories of the future. And what they mean for geopolitics, jobs, skills, the environment, by Sean Monahan of A. T. Kearney.

The one thing you can’t do without in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Adaptability, says entrepreneur Cristina Fonseca.

My name is refugee. I lost everything, including my name. Yusra Mardini, the Syrian teenager who swam for her life then swam in the Olympics, wants dignity for all refugees.

This is how we smashed through the glass ceiling. Six Davos women share their stories.

Reclaiming identity as a positive political force. Patriotism can make us less selfish, writes Colin Tyler of the UK’s University of Hull.

The LGBT movement has come too far to be beaten now. We need courage after a year of hatred, writes Chad Griffin of Human Rights Watch.

Social entrepreneurs are building the society we want to live in. They don’t think in terms of “us versus them,” writes Hilde Schwab.