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The Rise of State-Owned Investors: Sovereign Wealth Funds and Public Pension Funds

Author

Listed:
  • William L. Megginson

    (Michael F. Price College of Business, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA)

  • Diego Lopez

    (Global SWF LLC, New York, NY 10016, USA)

  • Asif I. Malik

    (Michael F. Price College of Business, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA)

Abstract

State-owned investors (SOIs), including sovereign wealth funds and public pension funds, have $27 trillion in assets under management in 2020, making these funds the third largest group of asset owners globally. SOIs have become the largest and are among the most important private equity investors, and they are key investors in other alternative asset investments such as real estate, infrastructure, and hedge funds. SOIs are also leaders in promoting environmental, social, and governance policies and corporate social responsibility policies in investee companies. We document the rise of SOIs, assess their current investment policies, and describe how their state ownership both constrains and enhances their investment opportunity sets. We survey the most impactful recent academic research on sovereign wealth funds, public pension funds, and their closest financial analogs, private pension funds. We also introduce a new Governance-Sustainability-Resilience Scoreboard for SOIs and survey research examining their role in promoting good corporate governance.

Suggested Citation

  • William L. Megginson & Diego Lopez & Asif I. Malik, 2021. "The Rise of State-Owned Investors: Sovereign Wealth Funds and Public Pension Funds," Annual Review of Financial Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 13(1), pages 247-270, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:anr:refeco:v:13:y:2021:p:247-270
    DOI: 10.1146/annurev-financial-110420-090352
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Langenbucher, Katja, 2022. "Consumer credit in the age of AI: Beyond anti-discrimination law," LawFin Working Paper Series 42, Goethe University, Center for Advanced Studies on the Foundations of Law and Finance (LawFin).
    2. Narjess Boubakri & Veljko Fotak & Omrane Guedhami & Yukihiro Yasuda, 2023. "The heterogeneous and evolving roles of sovereign wealth funds: Issues, challenges, and research agenda," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 6(3), pages 241-252, September.
    3. William L. Megginson & Asif I. Malik & Xin Yue Zhou, 2023. "Sovereign wealth funds in the post-pandemic era," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 6(3), pages 253-275, September.
    4. Robert Grosse, . "Who owns international business?," UNCTAD Transnational Corporations Journal, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    sovereign wealth funds; public pension funds; government policy; government regulation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G15 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - International Financial Markets
    • G38 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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