As befits a gathering deservedly known for having a high ratio of words to actions, the G20 wrapped up its meeting last weekend with a strong but ill-defined call to make globalisation and capitalism work for the good of all.
Malcolm Turnbull, the Australian prime minister, spoke of the need to “civilise capitalism”; Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund, said that growth had been “too low for too long for too few”.
They were reflecting a concern that the insecurities wrought by globalisation, particularly trade and migration, were fuelling populist sentiment and with it a flight towards protectionism and xenophobia. But few universally applicable solutions were offered.