Dag Detter offers us a unique idea which will revolutionise they way we think of public finance, be it for a national government or a city. He has unrivalled hands-on experience, backed up by academic data and research, to demonstrate that this is an invaluable tool to boost the economy and fight corruption. The idea of the public wealth of nations identifies a problem that few people had realised exists. It shatters the tired categories of left and right. And it suggests a relatively pain-free way of boosting economic growth.
As President of Stattum, the Swedish government holding company, and a Director at the Ministry of Industry, Detter led the restructuring of the Swedish government’s portfolio of state owned enterprises ,representing some 25 per cent of the domestic economy. The first attempt by a government to systematically address the ownership and management of government enterprises, quickly yielded high returns and the portfolio ultimately outperformed the local stock market.
Detter has worked extensively as an investment banker and an advisor in Asia and Europe and served as Non-Executive Director on a range of boards of private and public companies.
He now specialises in advising on the restructuring of public sector balance sheets and the management of under-performing public assets. He assists governments and public institutions in designing and implementing strategies for restoring balance sheet strength.
Detter is the co-author of The Public Wealth of Nations, selected as; The Economist’s Book of the Year 2015 and The FT’s best book of the year 2015, as well as the forthcoming book The Public Wealth of Cities.
