Rhodes Scholars active at World Economic Forum in Davos
Many Rhodes Scholars have been participating actively in the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland, focussing on such issues as prospects for the world economy, global security, income inequality, the future of India, and educating leaders for the world's future.
On Thursday night, four Rhodes Trustees - Donald J. Gogel (New Jersey & Balliol 1971), John McCall MacBain (Quebec & Wadham 1980), Professor Ngaire Woods (New Zealand & Balliol 1987), and Dominic Barton (British Columbia & Brasenose 1984) - and several other Rhodes Scholars joined the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford, Professor Andrew Hamilton, and the Warden of Rhodes House, Dr Donald Markwell (Queensland & Trinity 1981), in a reception in Davos for alumni and friends of the University of Oxford. 
In his welcome at the reception, jointly hosted by the University and the Rhodes Trust, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Hamilton, spoke of the crucial contribution of the Rhodes Scholarships to Oxford's work in educating leaders of many countries and institutions, including many represented at Davos.
The World Economic Forum meets there at a time of uncertainty and anxiety about the global economy, currently especially focussed on the Eurozone crisis, with economic power rapidly shifting towards emerging economies; discussions about the nature of capitalism itself; protest movements in many countries (including at Davos); heightened debates on unfairness, and increased recognition of the risks arising from current levels of inequality; and widespread lack of confidence in the ability of political or other office-holders to provide the problem-solving leadership needed, including on issues of the economy and the environment. The Forum has sought to help leaders generate new models of thinking and action for a world in rapid transformation.
Among the contributions of Rhodes Scholars to the World Economic Forum discussions are:
- Montek Singh Ahluwalia (India & Magdalen 1964) and Donald J. Gogel (New Jersey & Balliol 1971) on prospects for India,
- Dominic Barton (British Columbia & Brasenose 1984) on building trust, and on a social media initiative to end mother-to-child transmission of HIV,
- Hans-Paul Bürkner (Germany & St Catherine's 1976) on the global business context,
- Dan Esty (Massachusetts & Balliol 1981) on financing competitiveness,
- Chrystia Freeland (Prairies & St Antony's 1991) on the outlook for Russia and other topics,
- Richard N. Haass (Florida & Wadham 1973) on the global security context, including 'what if Iran develops a nuclear weapon?',
- Nicholas D. Kristof (Oregon & Magdalen 1981) on 'women as the way forward',
- John McArthur (British Columbia & Brasenose 1998) and Max Price (South Africa-at-Large & Magdalen 1980) on shaping new models of development,
- Kumi Naidoo (South Africa-at-Large & Magdalen 1987) on globalization, focussing on the world's environmental challenge,
- Tyler Spencer (Maryland/DC & Wolfson 2010), a current Scholar who has been identified as a 'Global Shaper', on 'the future across generations', and
- Ngaire Woods (New Zealand & Balliol 1987) on values, hyperconnectivity, currency uncertainties, and 'educating leaders: new models for universities'.
Many of these and other Rhodes Scholars at Davos are leaders of organisations seeking to help identify and implement solutions to international problems - from Kumi Naidoo, executive director of Greenpeace International, to Robert S. Harrison (New Jersey & St John's 1976), chief executive officer of the Clinton Global Initiative, to Ngaire Woods, inaugural dean of Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government, to Richard N. Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, to Richard Stengel (New York & Christ Church 1977), managing editor of TIME magazine, to Dominic Barton and Hans-Paul Bürkner, global heads of management consultants McKinsey and Boston Consulting Group, respectively.
The contributions of Rhodes Scholars to debate and action on major issues has also been evident in various publications prominent at Davos, such as:
- contributions by Bill Clinton (Arkansas & University College 1968) and Robert Reich (New Hampshire & University College 1968) to The Financial Times series on 'Capitalism in crisis',
- in Reuters magazine, an analysis by Nader Mousavizadeh (Denmark & Christ Church 1992) of 'four issues that could ruin the view from Davos', including 'nationalism, populism, and protectionism', and by Chrystia Freeland (Prairies & St Antony's 1991) on the 'conflict brewing between the ultra-wealthy and the merely rich',
- a letter in Foreign Policy from Kumi Naidoo rejecting the 'delusion' that 'nuclear energy is a climate-friendly panacea for energy security',
- an article co-authored by Alan Gelb (Natal & Hertford 1969) in the magazine This is Africa on 'how to turn citizens into owners of national wealth',
- a discussion in TIME magazine of the 'impressively lucid and searching forthcoming book', India Becoming, by Akash Kapur (Minnesota & Nuffield 1999), and
- the listing by Forbes magazine of 2012 Rhodes Scholar-elect Ronan Farrow among 30 'disrupters reinventing the world' who are under 30 years of age.
