Regime type and sovereign wealth management: Implications of cyber-democracy on sovereign wealth fund investment behavior

Abstract

This chapter compares broad characteristics of political systems with regard to their effects on the adaptation of ethical guidelines across sovereign wealth funds-large state owned investment funds. Reportedly sovereign wealth fund investments are driven by political imperatives, particularly if they come from non-Western economies with low democracy levels. However, if that is the case, how can we explain why some sovereign wealth funds of Western democracies adopting ethical guidelines in their investment practices? This chapter addresses this puzzle through the prism of cyberdemocracy, which emphasizes the nexus between modern technology and governance. Through a number of cases, this chapter derives an initial hypothesis that sovereign wealth funds from countries with parliamentary systems and high levels of political freedom side are more likely to have ethical guidelines specified.