One topic that we did not address in our introductory sessions was the role of government in corporate governance. A Business Week article discusses the potential for the direct role that could influence trade and investment decisions made by companies: Sovereign Wealth Funds Top Davos Talks. The topic was the focus of a panel at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Large state pension funds (e.g., NY and CA) have exercised some muscle with respect to their holdings, what impact could these national funds, with their estimated $3 trillion, have? You can find out some basics in the IMF magazine Finance & Development or at the Economist.