How Zero-Sum Thinking Broke Capitalism—And How We Can Fix It

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About The Book

A practical framework for building inclusive prosperity through positive-sum economics

Zero-sum thinking has cost the American economy an estimated $50 trillion over the last 30 years. The forthcoming book, Positive Sum: How Zero-sum Thinking Broke Capitalism ― and How We Can Fix It from the Ford Foundation’s director of Mission Investments, Roy Swan, reveals why this primitive instinct continues to cost businesses $600 billion annually, and offers a practical roadmap for recognizing the economic power of fairness to create broadly shared prosperity.

Through Positive Sum Swan questions the outdated economic theory that for someone to win, someone else must lose. The book presents concrete investment strategies that have delivered proven 28% returns, while advancing inclusive growth.

Readers will also find:

  • Evidence showing how zero-sum assumptions undermine both corporate profits and national prosperity, backed by rigorous economic analysis
  • Practical implementation strategies for impact investing that align financial returns with social outcomes across global markets
  • Real-world case studies from the Ford Foundation’s Mission Investments program demonstrating market-rate returns alongside measurable impact
  • A distinctly American framework for stakeholder capitalism that resonates across political divides while remaining globally applicable
  • Actionable guidance for business leaders seeking sustainable models that create value for shareholders, employees, and communities simultaneously

Positive Sum offers essential reading for business leaders seeking sustainable economic models, investors looking to connect values with returns, policymakers addressing inequality, and anyone concerned about building an economy where prosperity is broadly shared rather than narrowly concentrated.

Book Details

Author: Roy Swan
Publisher: Wiley (July, 2026)
Hardcover: 288 pages
ISBN13: 978-1-394-43672-9
Language: English

PRAISE FOR POSITIVE SUM

"Swan crafts a direct assault on our collective cynicism. His is a healing proposal that helps us rediscover a commitment to 'the common good' underpinned by an inclusive version of capitalism that defines prosperity in its grandest and most noble terms."
Lisa Shalett​Chief Investment Officer, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management​
"Positive Sum is the rare book that connects the intellectual history of capitalism's flaws to a practical, evidence-based roadmap for fixing them... Roy is proving you can make money and make a difference at the same time."
Robert G. EcclesFounding Chairman, Sustainability Accounting Standards Board; Visiting Professor, University of Oxford
"Roy's bold vision urges readers to transcend political divides and commit to building sustainable wealth for future generations."
Thomas NidesFormer US Ambassador to Israel; Former COO, Morgan Stanley
"Swan provokes us to join a movement to make different choices and shape a more sustainable and inclusive economy."
Linda A. HillProfessor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
"A rare book that speaks with equal force to investors, policymakers, and anyone who cares about where capitalism goes next."
Claudia ZeisbergerProfessor of Private Equity, INSEAD
This book will change how you see the game—and once you see it, you'll start asking better questions about how it should be played."
Anne LesterFormer Head of Retirement Solutions, JPMorgan Asset Management
"Positive Sum is a rigorous, hopeful, and urgently necessary book."
Zeynep TonMIT Sloan Professor; President, The Good Jobs Institute

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Roy Swan leads the Ford Foundation‘s Mission Investments program, where he oversees a $1.5 billion portfolio that proved impact investing can deliver market-rate financial returns. Under his direction, the program maintains operations throughout the United States, Africa, China, India, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. 

With over three decades of experience spanning banking, finance, general management, investments, and law, Swan has established a distinguished career in both corporate and nonprofit leadership. He currently serves on the boards of AQR Funds and Parnassus Funds, while also contributing as a member of the KKR Sustainability Expert Advisory Council and the Sobrato Capital Executive Committee.

A frequent commentator on inclusive capitalism, Swan contributes opinion pieces to prestigious publications including Forbes, Fortune, The Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, Institutional Investor, and Pensions & Investments. His “Patriotic Capitalism” column in The Observer explores investment strategies aligned with national interests, democratic values, and common good principles. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, where he was a recruited member of the Track & Field team, and a law degree from Stanford Law School, where he served as a Notes Editor of the Stanford Law Review.

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    Impact investing experts Roy Swan and Antony Bugg-Levine revisit Benjamin Franklin's little-known revolving loan fund to argue that expanding access to capital is not a modern political project but one of America's oldest economic traditions.

  • The United States at 250: Renewal Is the Real American Tradition

    The Ford Foundation’s Roy Swan examines what America's 250th anniversary reveals about the country's enduring promise. At a moment of declining trust and growing division, he argues that collective ambition, shared prosperity and civic renewal remain essential to the future of the American experiment.

  • Rev. Jesse Jackson and Milton Friedman: The Unlikeliest Bedfellows in American Capitalism

    The Ford Foundation’s Roy Swan reflects on the death of Rev. Jesse Jackson and a conviction he shared with libertarian economist Milton Friedman: that you cannot have credible democracy if large groups are structurally locked out. But, Swan argues, Jackson understood what Friedman did not: the lock doesn’t open by itself.

  • The Next Generation’s Declaration of Economic Independence

    Ford Foundation’s head of Mission Investments, Roy Swan, explores how the next generation of American leaders can build community wealth in places traditional capital has long ignored. Across the Heartland, new models are emerging that give young, local investors the tools to create sustainable economic ecosystems, proving that inclusive capitalism isn’t just possible, it’s necessary for the health of our economy and democracy.

  • The Positive-Sum Revolution: Dismantling the Myth of Zero-Sum Economics

    Roy Swan, head of Mission Investments at the Ford Foundation and a national voice on using capitalism for good, dismantles the myth that economics is a zero-sum game. Drawing on his global impact investing experience, Swan argues that inclusive, empathy-driven strategies are not just morally sound but economically superior. From fair wages to community investment, he outlines how business leaders, investors, policymakers and consumers can create a positive-sum economy that advances both national prosperity and democratic resilience.