Global Leadership

OUR special report on global leaders describes a world where traditional ruling classes are losing their wealth and influence to entrepreneurs, inventors, artists and philanthropists. But who makes up this new elite? Are our increasingly meritocratic societies also increasingly unequal? And does the rising power of unelected individuals pose a danger to democratic institutions?

As business leaders, politicians and journalists meet at the World Economic Forum's annual summit in Davos to discuss the year ahead, The Economist will be inviting readers and guests to participate in a series of online debates questioning the future of global leadership. From now until February 18th, we'll be examining the rapid emergence of a single global elite whose decisions, and opinions, affect us all.

We've had our say. Our special report explored, over 14 pages, the emergence of the elites. Our International section, in the issue of January 21st, examined in detail the rising inequality that has accompanied them; Our leader, in the same issue, laid out our response to these concerns. Now we'd like to hear from you. 

For the next four weeks, our Ideas Arena home page will highlight the best of these debates, curating comment and analysis from The Economist and from around the web. In addition, we'll be turning over the schedule of some of our regular discussion features to this global leadership debate.

The Economist Asks From January 24th to 28th, we'll be polling readers across all sections of the site, to find out their views on both traditional leaders and new global elites.

Economics By Invitation: From January 24th until February 18th, our guest panel of world-class economists will be offering thoughts on inequality, and describing the current, and future, stars of their profession. How has the economic crisis changed the balance of influence within economics? Which thinkers will most shape economic discourse over the next ten years?

Q&A with Robert Guest: On February 1st, Robert Guest, The Economist's business editor and author of our special report on global leaders, will make a guest appearance through our Twitter stream. He'll be answering the questions posed by our community of more than a million Facebook and Twitter followers.

The Economist Debate: "The global elite serve the masses." From February 8th until February 18th, special guests on our online debate site will close the festival by asking whether the rise of the global elite threatens or serves the interests of ordinary people. As always, Economist readers will get the final say in whether the motion is supported or rejected.

Now over to you.