Populist trends in corporate governance are undermining the quality of public policy, the legitimacy of democratic institutions and the functioning of our market economies. Rather than loading companies with unrealistic public responsibilities, we need to establish a fair and functional division of powers and responsibilities between politics and business. Business cannot be given the franchise to solve societal problems, such as increased inequality or environmental standards. And politicians should not be given an excuse to avoid tackling those same problems by referring to some vague concept of stakeholder capitalism.
Keynote address held by SCGI Director Mats Isaksson at the International Corporate Governance Network
Stockholm, 7 March 2023.
