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

AP Photo / Anja Niedringhaus

There’s a metaphor in there somewhere.

DavosPublished January 22, 2013Last updated July 21, 2022This 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