The impact of Sovereign Wealth Funds on their investees: Methodology limitations

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to address inconsistencies identified in the literature published on the subject of the impact of sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) on the market value and performance of the companies in which they invest. We provide a systematic analysis of the methodologies used in the literature with a strong emphasis on the structure and compilation of the SWF dataset and the evaluation of the data. We compare the strengths and weaknesses of the methodologies used in the seminal works published on this topic between 2007 and 2020. The results of our analysis highlight the significant risks and limitations of applying the methodological approach used in studies of large institutional investors to analysis of the impact of SWF investment on their investees.