German foreign policy, oil prices and geo-economics

The Agenda Weekly from the World Economic Forum.

Grüezi mitenand! Welcome to the World Economic Forum’s newsletter. Most shared this week What’s the future of German foreign policy? “Now more than ever, understanding the limits of one’s capabilities is an essential part of a viable foreign policy.” 4 winners and 4 losers from the oil price drop. Who won, who lost, and the consequences for the global economy.   On the Agenda How can business help deal with disasters? Disasters that once might have only had local effects now increasingly have global ramifications. What is geoeconomics? 5 things you need to know about it. Want to dig deeper? Read our 7 Challenges to Globalization report. Can robots understand feelings? “Software can be designed to identify your emotional state from the melody and tone of your voice, as well as your facial expressions and body language” 15 charts that explain the Greek crisis. The data behind the headline. In this week’s podcast, we dig deeper into the brain and how leaders use it when making decisions.   The World Economic Forum in the news Greater national competitiveness doesn’t lead to more entrepreneurship. Research based on the Global Competitiveness Report comes up with a paradox: “in less competitive economies, more people start businesses.” (Entrepreneur) Conflict clouds Ukraine’s debt distress. Draws on President Poroshenko’s speech in Davos. (FT) Net neutrality and the voice of business. Alan Murray cites Tim Berners-Lee, speaking at a panel in Davos. (Fortune) Coming soon: beer in biodegradable bottles. The innovation was unveiled in Davos. (Food World News) Fast dispute resolution helps mitigate infrastructure project risks. Draws on the Forum’s Strategic Infrastructure report. (Business Standard) SPONSOR CONTENT BY THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM Forum Academy Are you facing today’s challenges with yesterday’s leadership skills? Forum Academy gives executives access to digital updates from the world’s best minds. Visit Forum Academy On our radar Game Theory calls cooperation into question. A recent solution to the prisoner’s dilemma, a classic game theory scenario, has created new puzzles in evolutionary biology. The best strategies were selfish ones. How does global inequality manifest itself in a world of nation states? A fight between populism and plutocracy, argues Branko Milanovic. A global wealth tax is not the best way to solve inequality, says Thomas Piketty, who called for one in his best-seller Capitalism in the 21C. He now thinks the answer may be making capitalism more German. The real value of China’s stock market. “Since the reforms of the last decade, China’s stock market has become as informative about future corporate profits as in the US.” China’s vision for modernizing the United Nations. China wants to use its UN Security Council presidency to ask big questions about 21C global governance. If UN reform, can’t work, China may look for new long-term partners.   Coming up next week The top 10 emerging technologies to keep an eye on in 2015. Thanks for reading! Adrian