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The history of the global economy as told through inscrutable Davos themes

AP Photo / Anja Niedringhaus

There's a metaphor in there somewhere.

By Zachary M. Seward

Co-founder and CEO of Quartz

DavosPublished January 22, 2013Last updated February 12, 2013This article is more than 2 years old.

The theme of this year’s annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos is “Resilient Dynamism.” We’re not sure what it means, either. But that prompted us to look back at prior Davos themes, and it turns out they tell the entire history of the global economy since 2003—as viewed through a certain rarified lens. Presented here without comment…

2003: Building Trust
2004: Partnering for Security and Prosperity
2005: Taking Responsibility for Tough Choices
2006: The Creative Imperative
2007: The Shifting Power Equation
2008: The Power of Collaborative Innovation
2009: Shaping the Post-Crisis World
2010: Rethink, Redesign, Rebuild
2011: Shared Norms for the New Reality
2012: The Great Transformation: Shaping New Models
2013: Resilient Dynamism