Nepal, April 22 -- The "left-behinds" across the world's advanced economies are now taking their revenge by bringing anti-trade, populist parties and politicians to power

MILAN - Statistics can hold brutal truths. We are constantly told that innovation is occurring faster than ever, yet the data coming out of the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution suggest that it is anything but revolutionary. Among advanced economies, productivity growth is the slowest it's been in 50 years.

This "productivity paradox" is often attributed to measurement problems or lags following the adoption of disruptive technologies. But another possible explanation is that public debates about technological trends tend to be dominated by the companies and entre...