This spring, swimmers in Kent were told to avoid ten beaches in the county due to a sewage spill. So far, public anger over the flooding of sewage into our rivers and beaches has focused on water companies. But is anyone else to blame? The pipes that carry sewage in Kent are not owned by Southern Water or even Kent County Council. They belong to a large Australian asset manager that most of us have never heard of.
Asset managers are not household names, but they already own our energy systems, hospitals, schools, and even the pipes that supply our drinking water. So who are these shadow companies? What is asset management? Why are they buying the things we need to keep our society going?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith joins political economist and economic geographer Brett Christophers to discuss his new book, Our Life in Portfolios: Why Asset Managers Own the World.
get a copy Our lives in their portfolios: Why asset managers own the world
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