Davos 2020: Will sweeping protests across the globe lead to a new form of capitalism

The World Economic Forum (WEF) is not the place to talk ‘poverty’, ‘social exclusion’ or ‘the death of capitalism’ — at least that is the moral judgement. But those words are being debated more than anything else at its annual meeting that also coincides with the forum's 50^th anniversary.

Another issue with a similar bandwidth is ‘climate change’ — again, discussed and debated in terms of social and economic losses to the world’s poor and marginalised.

By the time the WEF annual meeting ends on January 24, 2020, ‘stakeholder capitalism’ can become a buzzword. A bit of background: WEF founder Klaus Schwab floated the term way back in 1971. ‘Stakeholder Capitalism’ was defined by him as a form of capitalism where the corporations behave or conduct businesses as trustees of society. After half a century, he again forcefully wrote and spoke about it as he feels this is the most suitable response to the contemporary world’s “social and environmental challenges”.

What are these social and environmental challenges being discussed by corporate honchos with unusual fervour?

Across the world there are protests, massive and intense in nature. The youth and children are joining forces to express grievances, starting from university fee hike to loss of resources and a better life in future.

Inequality in the distribution of income and resource has become mainstream global issues. Climate change and environmental crisis have already emerged as the most crippling reason for loss of livelihoods for the poor across the world. Children activists are trooping in at various forums, accusing leaderships and urging them forcefully to act to protect their future.

In Davos too inequality looms over corporate representatives and the champions of capitalism as a Damocles’ sword. In a way the rising restlessness among the next generation is a threat to both business and profit.

How can political leadership in elected governments afford a large, unhappy constituency? How will chief executives justify their unimaginable annual salaries in face of high income inequality, particularly in a free-market developed world? High salaries of corporate executives has been mentioned by Klaus as a point of concern in context of inequality.

The new Davos Manifesto wants corporates to pay taxes, not to indulge in corruption and work towards “shared value creation”. This means the corporate factor in social, environmental and governance issues into their profit-making practice.

Sounds grand; the question is who will ensure they do so? These are all moral principles that just got a general approval. So, is this talk about ‘stakeholder capitalism’ a ploy to diffuse anger against capitalists?

If corporations are trustees of society, as according to this new form of capitalism propagates, what is the society’s supervision over them? And who form this society?

This is a critical aspect. Reports released at the WEF summit show that significant parts of population have been kept out of the society due to various discriminations. They form the poor and will take generations to catch up with descent income.

In a country with a legitimate government, this can’t be ensured with just voluntary adoption by corporate houses. Corporations use public resources that are also owned by the people indirectly through governments. Will the governments then enforce ‘stakeholder capitalism’ by making corporations just trustees with minimal individual profits?

Inequality has deepened because the ‘trickle-down’ of wealth has not happened as it was assumed. That was the argument for adopting wealth-creating capitalism. It has definitely failed. This means we need a new economic / development model but can’t imagine it without capitalists.

It is a situation that needs a complete new way of rethinking.

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