| Abstract: | The protests against the WTO in Seattle and against the World Economic Forum in Davos and New York present vivid images of conflicting interests in the global economy. Teachers of International Political Economy have an opportunity to use a series of recent or ongoing dynamic case studies to introduce students to theory, history, empirical investigation, and current issues. The evolution of the WEF is a strong example of a multifunctional case study, as it links a current, ongoing issue with high media visibility to many of the major theoretical traditions and debates in IPE. Over its first thirty years of operation the WEF controlled the narrative of its own evolution, portraying itself as a unique venue for business leaders and public officials to discuss issues and solve problems. However, the telecommunications revolution made the WEF's agenda of self–promotion a victim of its own success. The effectiveness of the WEF's efforts to market itself as a key communication channel between major participants in the predominant liberal market configuration of the global economy, symbolized by the meeting of Bill Clinton and Bill Gates at Davos 2000, attracted critics, such as NGOs that embraced alternate visions of globalization. Some critics in turn have become participants, which has shifted the discourse of the WEF in ways unintended by its corporate members and thereby created the possibility for the WEF to become a site for contesting the existing structure of the global economy. |
