Where is the wealth of nations? : measuring capital for the 21st century

TLDR

The book estimates total wealth for nearly 120 countries, decomposing it into produced capital, natural resources, and human resources, and frames economic development as portfolio management to integrate sustainability into policy. The wealth estimates aim to provide a unique opportunity to view economic management from a broader, comprehensive perspective. The publication is organized into four sections: an introduction of wealth estimates and facts, an analysis of wealth changes and policy implications, a discussion of wealth levels, composition, and links to growth and inequality, and a review of resource and environmental accounting applications.

Abstract

The book presents estimates of total wealth for nearly 120 countries, using economic theory to decompose the wealth of a nation into its component pieces: produced capital, natural resources and human resources. The wealth estimates aims to provide a unique opportunity to look at economic management from a broader and comprehensive perspective. The book's basic tenet is that economic development can be conceived as a process of portfolio management, so that sustainability becomes an integral part of economic policy making. The rigorous analysis, presented in accessible format, tackles issues such as growth, development and equity. This publication is organized in four sections. The first part introduces the wealth estimates and highlights the main facts on the level and composition of wealth across countries. The second part analyzes changes in wealth and how they matter for economic policy. The third part deals with the level of wealth, its composition and links to growth and inequality. The fourth part reviews existing applications of resource and environmental accounting.