Refocusing capitalism on the long term: Ownership and trust across the investment value chain

Abstract

After the 2008-9 global financial crisis the capitalist system has largely rebounded. However, recent measures show a decline in public- and private-sector investment, growing income inequality, declining trust in institutions, and evidence of secular stagnation. These indicators point to a diagnosis of an excessive focus on short-term results at the expense of long-term value creation. The challenge of short-termism is not isolated, as it pervades the entire investment value chain-from savers (who are increasingly dependent on short-term metrics to assess investments) and institutional investors (who are increasingly moving to passive investments) to boards and executives (who are under pressure from shareholders to deliver consistent quarterly results). Ultimately, all actors in the investment value chain will need to play an active role in restoring our capitalist system to a proper balance between long-term ownership and performance and in repairing the fraying bonds of societal trust.