The potential of state commercial property: mapping and managing non-financial public assets

Most countries' public assets exceed their public debt. While managing public debt has become a matter of great concern during the financial crisis, public assets remain opaque and largely ignored. This article provides some explorative calculations on the size of public wealth at the national level and for some example cities. We describe how some countries and cities are experimenting with institutional setups, such as national and urban wealth funds, aiming to achieve sounder management, better economic outcomes and more transparency for voters.