As a result of the recent financial crisis, there has been significant public debate on the role of the financial sector in bringing about the "Great Depression." More generally, there has been debate about whether the current industry structure has enhanced social welfare or served a detrimental role. This book is a collection of papers presented at the conference held at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, in November 2012 that examined the social value of the financial sector as currently structured. Issues evaluated include what are the perceived benefits and costs of the current financial system? How valuable have industry innovations been for society? Should regulation be used to "move" the industry in a direction thought to be more valuable for society? Should "big" banks be broken up? What are the welfare implications of the current industry structure? In the book, leading industry scholars debate these issues with a goal of influencing public policy toward the industry.

Financial Regulation presents an important restatement of the purposes and objectives of financial regulation. The authors provide details and data on the scale, nature and costs of regulatory problems around the world, and look at what sort of countries and sectors require special attention and policies. Key topics covered include: * the need to recast the form of regulation * incentive structures for financial regulation * proportionality * new techniques for risk management * regulation in emerging countries * crisis management * prospects for financial regulation in the future.

Contents:
INTRODUCTION; MARKET HISTORY, Early beginning of money in Japan; Meiji Restoration and the birth of Yen; Post-war developments; Market liberalisation; In the aftermath of the bubble; GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS, Market participants; Foreign exchange banks and brokers; Customers, Market segments and transactions; Spot and forward markets; The role of foreign exchange swaps, Futures and options; Attitudes towards risks; Covering and Hedging; Position taking and arbitrage, Trading Techniques; Accounting; THE RISKS; Market risks; Measures of variability; Some stylised facts; Limits to forecastibility; Derivatives; Asymmetries and Nonlinearities; Risk management practices; Market linkages and operational risks; Payment system risks, Major payment systems; Private sector initiatives; POLICY ISSUES; Market regulation; Principles of bank regulation; Exchange restrictions; Risk monitoring and risk provision; Exchange rate stabilisation; Central bank interventions; International policy co-operation; CONCLUSION; Bibliogrpahy

German unification evoked ambivalent reactions outside its borders: it revived disquietingmemories of attempts by German big business during the two world wars to build an economic empire in Europe in conjunction with the military and the government bureaucracy. But thereare also high hopes that German finance and industry will serve as the engine of reconstruction in eastern Europe, just as it played this role in the postwar unification of western Europe.

The book is a collection of essays written by scholars of global repute in honour of Professor Sunanda Sen. Each paper is well-researched and offers some new dimension to the understanding of the current global crisis, finance and labour including the epistemological viewpoints regarding the current global order. The uniqueness of the book is that in one place one can find different heterodox positions dealing with the present global order of finance and labour - post-Keynesian, Marxist etc. The contents of the book can be classified into three major sections - (1) global finance dealing with current global crisis; (2) methodological/epistemological concerns in terms of the global crisis, and (3) labour in the context of neoliberal global capitalism characterised by the process of financialisation. The entire book is an attempt to decipher the meaning and significance the process of financialisation produces for the real economy. One of the major conclusions drawn from the different studies in the book relates to the fact that global finance as it has been shaped today cannot delinked from the question of labour. The current global finance regime warrants neoliberal labour flexibility regime, the latter guaranteeing the necessary surplus generation for the pervasive finance. This book offers an analysis of current global crisis relating it to the present-day global finance and labour in terms of the process of neoliberal financialisation a flexible labour regime. It is based on non-mainstream heterodox approach in Economics and as such is a critique of the mainstream neoclassical position on current global crisis. The contents of the book will be of immense use to the researchers and students dealing with current global crisis, global finance and labour.

This book analyzes the competitive forces which dominate this major sector, and traces how the nature of competition has evolved during the last two hundred years. Through an analysis of key factors, including demand, related and supporting industries, firm strategy, structure and national rivalry, chance and government policy, the author explains how and why the locus of competitive advantage in textiles and apparel has moved from country to country, particularly in the period since 1945.

Following the outbreak of the international financial crisis, Southern Europe became an epicentre of economic instability and international concern. The prospect of a sovereign debt default in the eurozone's 'flaky fringe' sent shock waves through the European and global economies. Examining the crucial initial phase, when the financial crisis was just beginning to spill over into the real economy, the volume surveys the impact of the September 2008 Lehman Brothers' collapse across the EU's southern periphery. The six South European eurozone members - Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus and Malta - are viewed in comparative perspective with EU candidate state and non-eurozone member, Turkey. In an era before the spectacular EU/IMF bailouts, the picture that emerges is one of national differentiation, illuminating these countries' different starting points and varying policy responses in the face of the gathering financial storm. This book was published in 2009 as a special issue of South European Society and Politics.

Bitcoin's introduction as the first cryptoasset in 2009 ushered in a new era, generating much interest, excitement, and growth. A cryptoasset is a digital asset using blockchain technology to regulate the generation of new units and verify and secure transactions. Besides cryptocurrencies, other major cryptoassets are security tokens and utility tokens. Cryptoassets are attractive to investors because of potentially high returns and diversification benefits. However, investors entering this market face substantial challenges like the low quality of information, high price volatility, a lack of academically defensible valuation models, and regulatory uncertainty. This book spans the gamut from theoretical to practical while offering the right balance of detailed and user-friendly coverage. It consists of five parts: (1) the cryptoasset landscape, (2) types of cryptoassets, (3) cryptoassets as investment opportunities, (4) trading, reporting, and technical aspects, and (5) other cryptoasset issues. The book skillfully blends scholars' and practitioners' contributions into a single review of critical topics and issues about cryptoassets. The contributors' varied backgrounds ensure different perspectives and a rich interplay of ideas. The book reflects the latest research and offers a guide to understanding cryptoassets and their role in investment portfolios.

An outstanding work, written to celebrate the seventieth birthday of Jagdish Bhagwati; the foremost defender of free trade and its role in developing economies in the world today, this rigorously academic and critical volume represents an important contribution to the understanding of many aspects of globalization. The editors, affiliated with four of the leading economics departments in the USA bring together a stellar line of contributors from across the world to discuss the themes and arguments raised by Bhagwati's latest work. A renowned professor of economics and regarded as one of the foremost international trade economist of modern times, Jagdish Bhagwati has written or edited over forty books including In Defence of Globalization and Free Trade Today as well as being the founding editor of Economics and Politics and The Journal of International Economics. A tribute to the great intellectual accomplishments and the inspiration that Jagdish Bhagwati provided to the field during his prolific and influential career, this book is a must read for all students and academics studying or working in international trade and development economics.

Paul Goodman left his mark in a number of fields: he went from being known as a social critic and philosopher of the New Left to poet and literary critic to author of influential works on education (Compulsory Mis-education) and community planning (Communitas). Perhaps his most significant achievement was in his contribution to the founding and theoretical portion of the classic text Gestalt Therapy (with F. S. Perls and R. E. Hefferline, 1951), still regarded as the cornerstone of Gestalt practice.

Taylor Stoher's Here Now Next is the first scholarly account of the origins of Gestalt therapy, told from the point of view of its chief theoretician by a man who knew him well. Stoehr describes both Goodman's role in establishing the principal ideas of the Gestalt movement and the ways in which his practice as a therapist changed him, ultimately leading to a new vocation as the "socio-therapist" of the body politic. He places Goodman in the midst of his world, showing how his personal and public life - including his political activities in the 1960s - were transformed by Gestalt ideas, and he presents revealing sketches of other major figures from those days - Fritz Perls, Wilhelm Reich, A. S. Neill, and others.

The collapse of Barings bank and the currency crisis in Mexico are just two instances of stress in an international financial system still largely governed by the institutions established by the Bretton Woods Committee in 1944. Here, the authors put forward an agenda for a new system of international economic institutions to fit the changes in international relations. This agenda includes:
* an analysis of the role of the Bretton Woods institutions and their relations with the newly created World Trade Organizations
* a discussion of the search for world economic governance
* an analysis of the crisis within EMS and the prospects for European Monetary Integration
* an examination of the integration of private markets in the new economic architecture.

Islamic finance often faces numerous challenges in a dynamic marketplace. This book aims to discuss contemporary issues and challenges in Islamic finance to inform discussions surrounding the governance system, the Islamic legal system, prudential regulations, Islamic home financing, and Islamic microfinance. Furthermore, corporate social responsibility (CSR), Islamic accounting, risk management, Basel Accord, and Shari'ah governance systems are discussed in the book. Despite the relevance of these issues in Islamic finance, only a few reference sources exist. This book will provide a guide for academics, students, and banking professionals to acquaint them with the theory and practice of Islamic finance, filling a needed gap.

'Soros has become a standard bearer for liberal democracy' Financial Times George Soros - universally known for his philanthropy, progressive politics and investment success, and now under sustained attack from the far right, nationalists, and anti-Semites around the world - gives an impassioned defence of his core belief in open society. George Soros is among the world's most prominent public figures. He is one of the history's most successful investors and his philanthropy, led by the Open Society Foundations, has donated over $14 billion to promote democracy and human rights in more than 120 countries. But in recent years, Soros has become the focus of sustained right-wing attacks in the United States and around the world based on his commitment to open society, progressive politics and his Jewish background. In this brilliant and spirited book, Soros offers a compendium of his philosophy, a clarion call-to-arms for the ideals of an open society: freedom, democracy, rule of law, human rights, social justice, and social responsibility as a universal idea. In this age of nationalism, populism, anti-Semitism, and the spread of authoritarian governments, Soros's mission to support open societies is as urgent as it is important.

The International Monetary Fund is the centre of a global financial system that encourages budgetary discipline and full integration into world trade to facilitate development and alleviate poverty.
Yet this policy 'conditionality' of the IMF is highly controversial. Critics state that fifty years of IMF existence has been 'fifty years too long', and that its doctrinaire policy must change or Fund programmes will have only limited ability to achieve their objectives.
This book examines the arguments, tracing the extent of Fund adaptation, presenting major new evidence on the consequences of Fund programmes, and considering its future role.

It is generally assumed that current deficits are intrinsically bad and in need of correction. The Current Account and Foreign Debt argues that this is not always the case. The author analyses a broad range of issues in support of this argument. These include:
* Approaches to current account balance
* Short run issues
* Longer run issues
* Policy

The book can be read as an integrated whole, or alternatively, each chapter can be consulted without reference to the others. The Current Account and Foreign Debt provides the counterbalance to a common misapprehension in economic theory. It will be a valuable guide for all those interested in international monetary theory.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203031040

A collection by founders and early leaders of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), presenting the current thinking on the past, present and future of the postwar system of international finance and trade.

A collection by founders and early leaders of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), presenting the current thinking on the past, present and future of the postwar system of international finance and trade.

Up-to-date surveys of all major research areas in international trade and international finance are presented in this volume. The chapters have a high standard of exposition, delivering ideas at the forefront of the field in a clear readable fashion. The volume has a good overall balance of theoretical and empirical coverage.

The trade side of the volume surveys theoretical work on trade based on scale economics and imperfect competition, the relationship between trade and technological progress, strategic trade policy, the political economy of trade policy, and the rules and institutions of international trade, as well as empirical work on trade patterns, trade policies, and regional integration. The finance side covers topics such as exchange rates, purchasing power parity, the current account, the international transmission of business cycles, foreign ending, international capital markets, target zones and speculative attacks on fixed exchange rates, and international economic policy coordination.

For students and researchers interested in understanding developments in modern international economics, this book is an essential reference.

Bringing together top international researchers this book provides a worldwide coverage of underground economic activities. It presents estimates of the underground economy for 145 countries - the most comprehensive ever undertaken; an in-depth examination of the underground economy for a select number of these countries; and an analysis of the public policy implications through an assessment of how various governments have attempted to address this issue. The book brings together the latest research on tax evasion, tax morale and other underlying factors that have so significantly influenced participation in the underground economy. It provides a comprehensive overview of the size and development of the underground economy, its major causes and motivations and its effects on the legitimate economy. In addition, it reviews recent public policy concerns by a number of countries and how they have responded with measures to curb these underground economic activities.

This title was first published in 2003. Covering a diverse range of countries such as Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Russia, as well as referring to the characteristics of the region as a whole, this book examines the inflow and outflow of foreign direct investment from both home and host company and country perspectives. By analyzing foreign direct investment in terms of process, content and context, the book provides a holist approach towards direct foreign investment in the transitional context of Central and Eastern Europe, embracing both macro- and micro-economic perspectives of the process.

First published in 1989, The Economics of the Swap Market looks at how the swap has become a commonplace tool for corporations throughout the OECD world to 'lock-in' interest rates on their borrowing. The aim of The Economics of the Swap Market, is to contribute to a redressing of the balance. Subjects covered include both those conventionally falling within the scope of micro-economics and of macroeconomics, beginning with an examination of the forces behind the take-off the swap market and a formal setting out of key arbitrage relationships which hold in equilibrium between the swap markets on international capital flow.

As the new Russian state struggles with the transition to a market economy, the need for radical monetary reform becomes increasingly urgent. The choice of reform is crucial, for it will largely determine Russia's future economic performance. In order to break free of the lingering effects of Soviet central planning, the new Russian state needs a stable, convertible currency.
Steve H. Hanke, Lars Jonung and Kurt Schuler propose that Russia establishes a currency board which would issue a Russian currency fully convertible with international currency, backed 100 per cent by international bonds. The international community would aid in establishing the currency board by providing the initial reserves. Early supplies of this new Russian currency would be distributed free to Russian citizens. The authors give detailed explanations of how the currency board could be established and how it would work.

Conventional wisdom has treated international trade as the motive force behind international financial flows. However, the last quarter of this century has witnessed an upsurge in the volume of international financial flows which have gained a momentum of their own, thus dwarfing the role of international trade. This increase in volume is generated by the large size of the international financial market systems, which are more closely integrated today than ever before. Dilip K. Das demonstrates that the development of a whole range of financial instruments is one of the key forces behind greater integration of financial markets. "International Finance" provides students of economics, finance and business management with medium-level discussion on international finance issues which are neither introductory nor over-specialized in nature. Six themes are developed which encompass some of the most practical and useful facets of international finance.

Originally published in 1987, The Flight of International Capital provides a fascinating comprehensive analysis of the history of international money movements. Taking 1931 as the turning point between old-style and modern methods of conducting monetary affairs, the book relates currency shifts and investment trends to political events. He deals with five eras in the history of international capital; the unsettled post-crash period 1931-1936; the flight of capital to the US before World War II; the dollar and Swiss Franc's time as the only 'hard monies' till the late fifties; the emergence of the mark-dollar axis before 1971; and finally, the behaviour of floating currencies.