Davos 2020: Poor social mobility and inequality recognised as a crisis

Globalisation’s fundamental pillar is mobility — a world where ideas, people, goods, and services can cross borders with ease and efficiency. Even as the world struggles to push globalisation without its negatives, a key agendum for the Davos summit is social mobility.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has created a Social Mobility Index, which “is designed to provide policymakers with means to identify areas for improving social mobility and promoting equally shared opportunities in their economies, regardless of their development”.

A key finding from the index is that irrespective of the size and maturity of the economy, most countries have a poor record of social mobility. Despite the focus on meritocracy, an average individual doesn’t have the freedom to make livelihood choices.