Cities are economic drivers at the heart of globalisation. Policymakers should look more closely at their potential, too. Here is why.

How do you manage transport in a rapidly growing country of over 1 billion people? Developing the railways may be the simple answer. Increasing demands are being placed on China’s transport infrastructure, and the OECD’s Railway Reform in China suggests that the development of an efficient, innovative and market-oriented rail network would facilitate investment and modernisation, alleviate the growing income gap and spread the benefits of economic reform more widely.

Le Corbusier, the great (though controversial) European urban planner and architect, argued that buildings were machines, to perform a task and to be disposed of when no longer up-to-date. He once famously quipped: why should we leave our buildings to our heirs, since we do not bequeath them our bodies?

Diamonds may enjoy a romantic image as a girl’s best friend, but the precious stones also play a far less appealing role in helping to finance some of the world’s bloodiest conflicts. The trade in illicit rough diamonds funds and prolongs conflicts in Angola, Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and is also being accused of funding international terrorism. Recent reports suggest that Al Qaeda terrorists have raised money through the purchase and sale of illicit diamonds.