Patrick Devaney

In today’s rapidly evolving financial landscape, pension funds stand at a critical crossroads. With over $60 trillion in collective assets under management globally, these institutions wield enormous influence over our economic future. Yet most remain surprisingly disconnected from one of their most fundamental strategic opportunities: investing in ways that directly benefit their own beneficiaries beyond simple financial returns. The concept of intergenerational equity in pension investments offers a compelling framework that goes beyond traditional social impact investing. It suggests that by strategically directing capital toward education and training in lower and lower-middle income countries, pension funds could simultaneously generate financial returns while creating social conditions that enable their beneficiaries to thrive in later life. The Intergenerational Equity Challenge At its core, intergenerational equity represents fairness across time, ensuring future generations inherit a world as good as ours. When applied to investments, this concept prioritizes the well-being of both current and future generations through sustainable resource allocation. This approach challenges the traditional investment paradigm that often prioritizes short-term profits over long-term consequences. For pension funds, the intergenerational equity challenge is particularly acute. These institutions must balance their fiduciary duty to current beneficiaries with their responsibility to future generations. As universal owners with … Read more

As Donald Trump’s administration imposes sweeping tariffs on European goods and toys with imposing even harsher tariffs still, the EU finds itself at a critical juncture. With nearly $300 billion wiped off Apple’s value in the immediate aftermath and European leaders condemning these “brutal and unfounded” measures, the EU has the chance to consider strategic retaliation. Rather than merely responding in kind, this trade tension creates a unique opportunity to address one of Europe’s most pressing domestic challenges: the housing crisis exacerbated by platforms like Airbnb. Trade Wars and Housing Crises The numbers tell a compelling story. The US enjoyed a €109 billion trade surplus with the EU in services in 2023 while running a €157 billion deficit in goods. This asymmetry gives Europe significant leverage in targeting American tech giants that have maintained market dominance while largely avoiding European taxes and regulatory compliance. Meanwhile, across European cities from Lisbon to Amsterdam, the impact short-term rental platforms are having on housing affordability has reached crisis levels. Portugal recently banned new licenses for Airbnbs as part of a €900-million package to address its housing emergency. Barcelona, Venice, and Amsterdam have implemented various restrictions as local residents find themselves priced out of … Read more

Across industrialized democracies, the traditional corporate model—focused on maximizing shareholder returns—has proven increasingly inadequate in addressing the urgent social and ecological challenges of our time. From climate breakdown to rising inequality and democratic erosion, entrenched capitalist systems are failing to deliver solutions, leaving governments and societies grappling with the consequences. Yet, the answer is not a retreat to centralized government control or blind faith in deregulated markets. Instead, what is needed is a new paradigm: mission-driven enterprises capable of competing with dominant corporate entities while remaining agile enough to prioritize social and ecological objectives alongside financial sustainability. This approach is particularly relevant in regions where corporate influence has distorted democratic governance, creating systems that funnel public resources into private hands while limiting accountability. For example, in the United States, corporations spend approximately $4.4 billion annually on lobbying—more than the operating budgets of Congress—while receiving trillions in subsidies and tax breaks. Similar dynamics exist across Europe, Canada, and other advanced economies, where lobbying, regulatory capture, and a public-private revolving door have undermined governments’ ability to act independently of corporate interests. To counter this entrenched system, we need enterprises that harness market mechanisms without being enslaved by them—organizations capable of accessing capital … Read more