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Outlook on the Global Agenda 2014

  • About this report
    • Introduction by Klaus Schwab
    • Welcome from Martina Gmür
    • Preface by Drew Gilpin Faust
    • Making the Outlook on the Global Agenda 2014
  • Top 10 trends of 2014
    • Introduction
    • 1. Rising societal tensions in the Middle East and North Africa
    • 2. Widening income disparities
    • 3. Persistent structural unemployment
    • 4. Intensifying cyber threats
    • 5. Inaction on climate change
    • 6. Diminishing confidence in economic policies
    • 7. A lack of values in leadership
    • 8. The expanding middle class in Asia
    • 9. The growing importance of megacities
    • 10. The rapid spread of misinformation online
    • In focus: The trends we need to know more about
  • Regional challenges
    • Donald Kaberuka: The cautious optimist
    • Building for the better: tackling inequality, unemployment and corruption
  • Networked thinking
    • Values
    • Employment
    • Interconnectivity, visualised
    • Interactive council map
  • Future agenda
    • The new space race
    • Mapping the future: The technologies changing our lives
    • The future of biotechnology
    • The future of shale gas
    • The future of democracy
    • The future of surveillance
    • The future of the Arctic
    • The future of multinationals
  • Browse by topic
    • Economics and Growth
    • Education
    • Energy
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Environment
    • Finance
    • Geopolitics
    • Governance
    • Health and Well-being
    • Hyperconnectivity
    • Innovation
    • Infrastructure
    • Risk
    • Sustainability
    • Society
    • Technology
    • Unemployment
    • Youth
  • Download a PDF version of this report
  • Download a calendar of 2014’s most significant events
Outlook on the Global Agenda 2014 Home
  • Report Home
  • About this report
    • Introduction by Klaus Schwab
    • Welcome from Martina Gmür
    • Preface by Drew Gilpin Faust
    • Making the Outlook on the Global Agenda 2014
  • Top 10 trends of 2014
    • Introduction
    • 1. Rising societal tensions in the Middle East and North Africa
    • 2. Widening income disparities
    • 3. Persistent structural unemployment
    • 4. Intensifying cyber threats
    • 5. Inaction on climate change
    • 6. Diminishing confidence in economic policies
    • 7. A lack of values in leadership
    • 8. The expanding middle class in Asia
    • 9. The growing importance of megacities
    • 10. The rapid spread of misinformation online
    • In focus: The trends we need to know more about
  • Regional challenges
    • Donald Kaberuka: The cautious optimist
    • Building for the better: tackling inequality, unemployment and corruption
  • Networked thinking
    • Values
    • Employment
    • Interconnectivity, visualised
    • Interactive council map
  • Future agenda
    • The new space race
    • Mapping the future: The technologies changing our lives
    • The future of biotechnology
    • The future of shale gas
    • The future of democracy
    • The future of surveillance
    • The future of the Arctic
    • The future of multinationals
  • Browse by topic
    • Economics and Growth
    • Education
    • Energy
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Environment
    • Finance
    • Geopolitics
    • Governance
    • Health and Well-being
    • Hyperconnectivity
    • Innovation
    • Infrastructure
    • Risk
    • Sustainability
    • Society
    • Technology
    • Unemployment
    • Youth
  • Download a PDF version of this report
  • Download a calendar of 2014’s most significant events

Future agenda

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The Survey on the Global Agenda asked respondents to think about the emerging issues that haven’t yet reached their full potential, but which will have an important impact on our lives in the future.

As part of the Survey on the Global Agenda we asked the experts to identify “emerging issues” – those developments that are seen as important, but which have yet to reach their full potential or impact. The data pinpointed six issues as worthy of explanation, so in Big questions, our Global Agenda Council Members explore biotechnology, shale gas, the future of democracy, digital surveillance and emerging multinationals.

Outliers in the data also led us to extend our horizons, so The new space race examines how the great beyond is bringing new opportunities to mankind. And in Mapping the future, we track how emerging technologies are changing the way we live our lives back here on Earth.

The new space race

Growth in space is becoming a far more accessible ambition for countries and organisations the world over. Read more »

Mapping the future: The technologies changing our lives

Each time a WikiLeaks or Snowden shows weaknesses in the system, the system gets stronger.  Read more »

The future of biotechnology

Advances in biotechnology could eradicate diseases and address challenges in food and water security. Read more »

The future of shale gas

Shale gas could be a revolution in the global energy landscape, opening it up to a new group of suppliers. Read more »

The future of democracy

Democracy must respond to decline of trust in elected governments and increase in citizen involvement. Read more »

The future of surveillance

Unlike in the past, technologies that enable big data are in the hands of the private sector. Read more »

The future of the Arctic

The effects of global climate change are hugely amplified in the Arctic. Read more »

The future of multinationals

Emerging-market MNCs will contribute significantly to the dynamism & growth of the global economy. Read more »

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