But beginners to the World Economics Forum have to understand there is no single Davos experience, and there is no single Davos community either. There are numerous tribes who interact only at a minimal level.

I actually profoundly think the world's a better place when economics is fairly boring... The more boring the better.

Interestingly, human irrationality is a hot topic in economics at the moment. Behavioural economics it's called, on the cusp of economics and psychology.

It was Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez who benefited most from the World Social Forum's enthusiasms.

So much of it is economics. Everything we deal with within a community is, it comes down to, in one way or another, to economics.

Personally, I don't see old economics and behavioural economics as opposed. It is useful to assume people are rational as a good approximation to their long term behaviour, but it would be unwise not to think how in practice their behaviour may deviate from that simplifying assumption.