New global index offers new benchmark for long-term investment resilience

A pioneering international investment index designed to help investors, businesses and policymakers assess long-term economic resilience has been launched.

The Pacific Rim Investment Value Index (PRIVI) was officially unveiled at the University of Derby during an event that brought together researchers and experts from across the Pacific Rim to explore how investment decisions are evolving in response to global challenges.

Unlike traditional sovereign credit ratings, which focus largely on short-term financial risk, PRIVI has been designed to measure whether countries are creating the conditions needed for long-term investment, resilience and sustainable economic growth.

The Index evaluates 43 Pacific Rim economies using a range of economic, environmental, technological and institutional indicators. It brings together data from more than 30 international sources across five key areas – climate governance, biodiversity and natural capital, AI capability, institutional quality, and economic performance.

The University is one of the founding partners behind the initiative, with its researchers playing a central role in developing PRIVI’s methodology, framework and assessment criteria. The University’s expertise in climate governance, sustainable development and performance management has helped shape the Index from its inception.

Professor Qile (Horace) He, Professor of Strategy and Performance Management at the University of Derby, said:

“The way we assess investment is changing because the challenges facing economies are changing. Climate change, biodiversity loss and artificial intelligence are no longer issues on the margins of economic development – they are becoming central to long-term competitiveness.

“Drawing on our academic research and practical policy experience, PRIVI aims to develop a transparent and forward-looking framework that helps Pacific Rim economies strengthen their long-term investment competitiveness, resilience and sustainable prosperity.”

The inaugural assessment reveals significant differences between Pacific Rim economies in areas including climate governance, biodiversity protection and AI capability, despite many countries making similar international commitments.

The findings suggest that future investment decisions are likely to be shaped by a country’s ability to adapt to environmental change, develop new technologies and build strong institutions, rather than relying solely on traditional economic measures.

Alexandra Charles, Director of the Derby International Business School, said:

“The index is not only a research achievement, but also offers a new teaching framework for international business education, helping students to understand future economic development and investment decisions from a more systematic and long-term perspective.”

Rather than producing a single league table, PRIVI groups economies into tiers of long-term investment readiness and provides detailed assessments across five dimensions to help identify strengths and areas for improvement.

Professor Myra Conway, Provost for Innovation and Research at the University of Derby, said:

“It was a pleasure to welcome our partners from across the Pacific Rim to the University of Derby for the launch of PRIVI. The event recognised the strength of our international collaboration and provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen partnerships between academia, industry and policymakers as we work together to support better long-term investment decision-making.”