USA Africa Dialogue Series - Global Risks 2014

The report features an analysis of a survey of over 700 leaders and decision-makers from the World Economic Forum’s global multistakeholder community on 31 selected global risks.

Part 1 of the report presents the results of this year’s Global Risks Perceptions Survey, enumerating the 10 risks that respondents nominated as being of highest concern and also those they thought were most likely and potentially impactful. It also maps the strength of perceived interconnections among these risks to provide a holistic picture of the complexity and broad framework needed to understand their full potential impact. Finally, it includes a “risks and trends to watch” section, noting additional issues that respondents and experts were concerned about.

Part 2 selects and explores in detail three constellations of global risks from the Risks Interconnections Map. “Instabilities in an Increasingly Multipolar World” examines possible interconnections among risks related to the changing geopolitical order. “Generation Lost?” looks at how high rates of youth unemployment risk stoking social unrest and squandering human and economic potential, and how the current situation will affect tomorrow’s youth. “Digital Disintegration” imagines how cyberspace could become severely affected through growing strength of attacks and dwindling trust, at a huge cost to economies and societies.

The report also features contributions from several of the Forum’s Global Agenda Councils, which bring together thought leaders from academia, business, government, international organizations and other civil society organizations to set the global agendas in their respective fields. The Councils’ contributions explore a selection of specific risks that rank highly on the Global Risks Perceptions Survey.