Monday, January 20, 2014

Report: Income Inequality The Biggest World-wide Risk


Prior to next week's economic forum in Davos, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum has released its Global Risks report.  The consensus greatest risk to the global community in the opinion of the leaders surveyed?
The large and growing income gap between rich and poor is the biggest risk to the global community in the next decade, the World Economic Forum said on Thursday as politicians, business leaders and academics prepared to gather in Davos.

Reflecting mounting concern about the risk to societies from inequality, the WEF said the need to tackle disparities in income and wealth had to be addressed at WEF's annual gathering in the Swiss ski resort of Davos next week.
Extreme weather events and unemployment/underemployment were the next two projected greatest risks.

(Pro tip to the organizers:  maybe the "Swiss ski resort of Davos" doesn't provide the best optics if you're going to be talking about the growing income gap between the rich and the poor.  Just sayin'.)