Mason: Efficient Management of the Wealth of Nations

Ruth Mason (UConn) has posted Efficient Management of the Wealth of Nations, 120 Tax Notes ___ (2008), on SSRN.  Here is the abstract:

This comment considers arguments for and against stricter regulation of sovereign wealth funds (SWFs), either by tightening securities laws or increasing the tax burden on SWFs. Concerns about SWFs fall into two broad categories: fears that (1) investments will be politically, rather than financially, motivated, and that (2) to the extent that SWFs are politically motivated in their investment choices, they are inefficient investors that distort capital markets. While acknowledging these legitimate concerns, this comment explains how foreign equity investment by such funds may paradoxically promote global capital market efficiency because sovereign investors may behave more like private investors when they invest in abroad than when they invest at home.