Video
Panel on Wealth Accounts: Concepts, Economics, and Policy
Wealth is a stock, not a flow. The country with the highest flow of GDP in a particular year is not necessarily the richest country. The richest country has the highest capital stock, whether endowed or accumulated. While this should in theory be obvious, it is often ignored. A focus on wealth, and changes in wealth, would lead to attention to investment in important assets – whether natural, produced, human, institutional or financial – and sharper attention to sustainability. In this discussion, the panelists consider wealth accounts and policy implications.
