Working Paper: NBER ID: w14078
Authors: Olivia S. Mitchell; John Piggott; Cagri Kumru
Abstract: Large publicly-held pools of assets are playing an increasingly prominent role in the global investment arena. We compare three distinct forms of such public funds, namely foreign exchange reserve funds, sovereign wealth funds, and public pension funds, to highlight their differences and similarities. We review previous studies on ways to better secure prudent and economically sound public fund management practices in these funds, as well as how to evaluate their governance and investment policies and how to better protect the assets from political interference. Drawing from the pension and corporate finance literature, we also link their management to governance practices and country-specific characteristics, and contrast those with empirical findings on linkages with corporate governance.
Keywords: public investment funds; governance; accountability; investment policies
JEL Codes: G18; G2; G22; G23; G28; G32; H5; H54; H55
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Good management practices (M54) | improved fund performance (G23) |
| national economic and political conditions (F52) | management practices (M54) |
| Political interference (D73) | undermined governance (H11) |
| transparency and accountability (G38) | enhanced performance (D29) |