The last 30 years of research on stakeholder theory has led to a rich and varied literature. The next step is to see stakeholder theory as a way to redefine how we think about value creation and trade. If we can make the twenty-first century the century of value creation for stakeholders, and if we can escape the political and institutional trap of building in trade-offs among stakeholders into public policy, then the sheer audacity of our fellow humans will lead to prosperity and freedom for more and more people. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011.