The World Economic Forum’s research project on the “Global Economic Impact of Private Equity” sought to analyse private equity transactions, meaning equity investments by professionally managed partnerships that involve leveraged buyouts or other equity investments with a substantial amount of associated indebtedness (as opposed, for instance, to venture capital investments in start-ups). The goal was to complete a rigorous study of the impact of these investments around the world, prepared by a tightly organized consortium of leading international scholars.

This volume of Working Papers comprises a series of (I) large-sample studies and (II) case studies.