Using a variety of theoretical frameworks drawn from the social sciences, the contributions in this edited collection offer a critical perspective on the dominant paradigms used in contemporary financial activities. Through a detailed study of the organisation and functioning of financial intermediaries and institutions, the contributors to this volume analyse ‘finance in the making’, by shedding light on the structuring of banking and financial systems, on their capacity to prescribe action and control, on their modes of regulation and, more generally, on the process of financialisation. Contributions presented in this volume have been written by authors working within the ‘social studies of finance’ tradition, a research programme that emerged twenty years ago, with the aim of addressing a diversity of financial fieldworks and related theoretical questions. This book, therefore, sheds light on different areas that are representative of contemporary financial realities. Specifically, it first studies the work of financial employees: traders, salespeople, investment managers, financial analysts, investment consultants, etc. but also provides an analysis of a range of financial instruments: financial schemes and contracts, financial derivatives, socially responsible investment funds, as well as market rules and regulations. Finally, it puts into perspective the organisations contributing to this financial reality: those developing and selling financial services (retail banks, brokerage houses, asset management firms, private equity firms, etc.), and also those contributing to the regulation of such activities (banking regulators, financial market authorities, credit rating agencies, the State, to name a few). Each text can be read without any specific knowledge of finance; the book is thus addressed to anyone willing to better understand the intricacies of contemporary financial realities.

The Making of Modern Finance is a path-breaking study of the construction of liberal financial governance and demonstrates how complex forms of control by the state profoundly transformed the nature of modern finance. Challenging dominant theoretical conceptions of liberal financial governance in international political economy, this book argues that liberal economic governance is too often perceived as a passive form of governance. It situates the gold standard in relation to practices of monetary governance which preceded it, tracing the evolution of monetary governance from the late middle Ages to show how the 19th century gold standard transformed the way states relate to finance. More specifically, Knafo demonstrates that the institutions of the gold standard helped to put in place instruments of modern monetary policy that are usually associated with central banking and argues that the gold standard was a prelude to Keynesian policies rather than its antithesis. The author reveals that these state interventions played a vital role in the rise of modern financial techniques which emerged in the late 18th and 19th century and served as the foundation for contemporary financial systems. This book will be of strong interest to students and scholars of international political economy, economic history and historical sociology. It will appeal to those interested in monetary and financial history, the modern state, liberal governance, and varieties of capitalism.

Drawing on its extensive experience in helping restructure and reform financial systems, the World Bank examines the state of African domestic financial systems in a global comparison. It identifies promising trends as well as pinpointing the major shortcomings that are observed across sub-Saharan Africa. Policy recommendations distinguish between those designed to make finance a more effective driver of economic growth and those designed to give low income, small-scale and other excluded groups better access to financial services.

In an ever-changing economy, market specialists strive to find new ways to evaluate the risks and potential reward of economic ventures by assessing the importance of human reaction during the economic planning process. The Handbook of Research on Behavioral Finance and Investment Strategies: Decision Making in the Financial Industry presents an interdisciplinary, comparative, and competitive analysis of the thought processes and planning necessary for individual and corporate economic management. This publication is an essential reference source for professionals, practitioners, and managers working in the field of finance, as well as researchers and academicians interested in an interdisciplinary approach to combine financial management, sociology, and psychology.

The financial crisis of 2007–8 and its aftermath have resulted in the role of money and finance within the global economy becoming the subject of considerable debate in public, policy and media circles. Global Finance is a timely look at the contemporary international financial environment, providing an introduction to this dynamic field of research for students and more advanced researchers. Drawing on economic geography, economic sociology and critical management, Hall offers a broad selection of case studies that ground critical theory in our current financial climate. Hall examines and reviews a wide range of critical approaches relating to the role of money and finance in the global economy, dividing these approaches into three key sections: Global finance and international financial centres. Global finance and the ‘real’ economy’. Global financial subjects and actors. The book takes a uniquely interdisciplinary approach which, combined with an international spread of case studies, makes this book highly valuable to a wide range of upper level undergraduate courses across the social sciences.

Finance for Strategic Decision Making demystifies and clarifies for non-financial executives the basics of financial analysis. It shows how they can make important financial decisions that can critically enhance their institution’s ability to respond to competitive challenges, undertake new projects, overcome financial setbacks, and most importantly, create shareholder value. Written by M. P. Narayanan and Vikram K. Nanda—two of the country’s leading authorities on financial strategy—this book offers a practical guide for using financial analysis to enhance strategicdecision making. The book includes a coherent framework that outlines practical and intellectually sound guidance for executives who must make strategic decisions. Finance for Strategic Decision Making Explains the role of finance in corporate strategy Offers guidance on resource allocation decisions Explores how to determine the right balance of debt and equity capital to maximize firm value Demonstrates how to use payout policy as a strategic tool Clarifies if a merger, acquisition, or divestiture is in the best interest of an organization Shows how to manage risk Reveals how to measure value created and the effectiveness of upper level management

This book provides unique insights into the politics of finance and the socio-political relations which drive financial policymaking in Hong kong, Singapore, and Shanghai. While the existing literature in the field focuses mainly on economic explanations for financial centre development, this book fills a gap by focusing on the socio-political relations which underpin the financial policy-making process. Drawing on extensive interviews with senior policy-makers and financial sector professionals, the book describes how state-industry relations drive financial policy-making in three major financial hubs. Insights and policy recommendations drawn from these interviews will be particularly useful for policy-makers and financial sector professionals hoping to draw lessons from the successful development of the three leading Asian financial centres. Business and Politics in Asia's Key Financial Centres draws on public policy theoretical frameworks for its analytical basis. The three chapters focusing on the historical development of Hong Kong, Singapore, and Shanghai also provide a consolidated narrative with regard to the development of these three cities as leading financial centres, while also serving as independent case studies. Scholars focusing on policy processes and political factors that underpin financial sector development, as well as instructors and students of public policy, international political economy, and financial sector policy, will find this book useful for their research.

This accessible Handbook provides an essential entry point for those with an interest in the increasingly complex subject of financial decision making. It sheds light on new paradigms in society and the ways that new tools from private actors have affected financial decision making. Covering a broad range of key topics in the area, leading researchers summarize the state-of-the-art in their respective areas of expertise, delineating their projections for the future.

Finance & Development, June 2020

Stefano Gatti describes the theory that underpins this cutting-edge industry, and then provides illustrations and examples from actual practice to illustrate that theory.