Private equity is still a "force for good"

A few years back, I noticed that the phrase "a force for good" was being used with remarkable consistency by people in, or working with, the private equity industry. So I thought I'd do a quick google to see if that was still the case. No real surprise, but it is, and organisations ranging from the UK trade body to free market spin tanks still use the term regularly.

A few quick examples -

Here the BVCA uses the phrase in the headline of a press comment in relation to the care sector - one where the industry has faced a lot of criticism.

Here the American Enterprise Institution has an article (co-authored by Kevin "Dow 36,000" Hassett) with the phrase in its title.

Here is a report (PDF) of a roundtable private equity hosted by a PE firm that also uses the phrase in the headline and the text.

There are plenty of others.