Managing Assets Better: The Role of Public Wealth Funds

Some governments have delegated the management of surplus revenue from exports to sovereign wealth funds (SWFs). These SWFs—often in resource-rich countries—have succeeded in generating wealth for society and future generations by investing in well-developed international stock markets or in real estate in stable developed markets. The public wealth fund (PWF) is a similar institution which can help maximise the potential of the commercial assets on the government balance sheet, the operational assets and real estate owned by the government domestically. Given the scale and social importance of these assets, effective governance is crucial, to deliver good commercial outcomes and to avoid corruption.