Economics

We are living in a world where the top 1% of the world's population own more of our planet's wealth than the bottom 95% combined. We live in a world where billions exist in abject poverty without access to the basic food, water, shelter which the rest of us take for granted.

We have made money, capital, materialism and consumption into our God, it's a disease – you could call it affluenza. It is perhaps because of this context that humanity has lost its way, and the consideration of human rights has been subordinated to the interests of a handful of powerful people who sit at the top of the pyramid.

Environmental activist & former Executive Director of Greenpeace International

We cannot use the existing models of development, because those existing models have brought us pollution, disparity of income, and significant challenge. Consumption-led economic development has been the narrative of the 20th century.

Co-Founder and Former CEO of Infosys, Indian IT Pioneer

One of the common myths about setting up business in the UAE is that funding is challenging to obtain in the country. This couldn't be further from the truth. With UAE's pro-investment laws and a robust financing sector, new businesses find it very easy to secure funds through various channels.

Founder and Chairman of Damac Properties, major UAE real estate developer

We have one planet, and we have to make it work for everyone, not just one group. The same is true of the global economy – which can only really work if it works for everyone.

Philosopher, Cosmopolitanism Advocate & Princeton University Professor

Before we came to market, everything in retail was about how cheaply you could pay your employees- and unfortunately, particularly women. There was an attitude in retail that said, '... well, your female employees are just going to get married, have children at 23 and leave, so why invest in them?' The reality of the world was that 60% of university graduates were women- and most women were having children later, entering professional careers.

Founder of Lululemon Athletica, Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist

Our news outlets could report the fact that 137,000 people escaped from extreme poverty yesterday, every day for the past 30 years – but they never ran that headline, with the result that over a billion people escaped poverty and nobody knows about it.

Cognitive Scientist & Psychologist Known for Research on Language and Human Nature

To be a billionaire in America today is less a matter of merit than it is a matter of being at the right place at the right time, and being a beneficiary of a set of rules designed to benefit billionaires.

Labor Secretary & Economist; Leading Voice on Inequality

America has a class system, and it's becoming more rigid all the time. As inequality widens the damage spills over to children, and the ladder becomes so long that you have little hope of getting too far up it in your lifetime.

Labor Secretary & Economist; Leading Voice on Inequality

It's not that capitalism is failing, but rather that the organisation of capitalism is succumbing to wealth and power. People with extraordinary power and wealth will organise and enforce markets in such a way that it benefits their wealth and adds to their power- it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy- a vicious cycle of more wealth and power.

Labor Secretary & Economist; Leading Voice on Inequality

I'm constantly bemused when I hear about some amazing energy or agricultural company that is for profit, but works with low-income people and a non-profit leader says, 'you know Jacqueline, charging people who are poor is immoral…' – you know what else is immoral? 700 million people who have no electricity.

Founder of Acumen Fund & social entrepreneur focused on global poverty alleviation

We cannot focus only on the material aspects of poverty- we must address the poverty of spirit that's present in every one of our broken institutions: health systems, economic systems, criminal justice systems, and food systems. If we are going to solve the toughest problems we face as a world right now, we're going to need new operating principles that are compatible with a deeply interconnected world.

Founder of Acumen Fund & social entrepreneur focused on global poverty alleviation

I went from knowing the value of a dollar to forgetting the difference between $10,000 and $30,000 because everything was expensive. I certainly I got hoodwinked sometimes: people would Google me and the business and charge me astronomical prices.

Founder of Nasty Gal & Author of "#GIRLBOSS

Countries that criminalise LGBT+ people are losing tourist revenue because LGBT+ tourists and their straight friends and families won't go to such countries. There is also a very significant brain-drain from countries that victimise LGBT+ people.

Human rights activist & campaigner for LGBTQ+ equality and justice

World poverty has been reduced significantly- and whilst everyone seems to think the world is getting more impoverished, this simply is not the case. Scientific cooperation has improved too, and this has allowed significant advances in global health.

Harvard Professor & Creator of "Soft Power" Concept

People are now talking of a new 'Cold War' with China. This is a very misleading use of history. If you look at the relationship between China and the US today, there is half a trillion dollars of trade, and some 350,000 Chinese students and 3 million Chinese tourists are in the US. It's more complex than the type of relationship we had during the Cold War.

Harvard Professor & Creator of "Soft Power" Concept