The Demise Of Finance Dominated Capitalism

This book provides an overview of different theoretical perspectives on the long-run transition towards finance-dominated capitalism, on the implications for macroeconomic and financial stability, and ultimately on the recent global financial and econo

'The rise to dominance of finance in the past three decades has had many profound effects on economic performance. In this book Eckhard Hein provides us with detailed, well-grounded and highly insightful analyses of the macroeconomic impacts on investment, employment, global imbalances, income distribution and much more. This is "must read" for those wanting to comprehend the macroeconomics of the era of financialization, and for those seeking macro-economic policies to address the financial crisis and bring economic prosperity.' – Malcolm Sawyer, University of Leeds, UK 'Eckhard Hein examines the causes and consequences of financialisation. His book is economics as it should always be: it combines reflections, data gathering, empirical analysis, theoretical formalization, and policy recommendations. Hein goes beyond the exuberant behaviour of the banking industry to analyse the global financial crisis and the eurozone crisis, showing, through various variants of a Kaleckian growth model, the macroeconomic consequences of the rising dominance of finance over modern capitalism during the last three decades.' – Marc Lavoie, University of Ottawa, Canada In this timely and thought-provoking book, Eckhard Hein illustrates that the Great Recession, which hit the world economy in 2008/09, is rooted in the contradictions of finance-dominated capitalism. the author provides an in-depth exploration of the macroeconomics of finance-dominated capitalism, its problems and its crisis, and presents economic policy lessons and alternatives. In particular, he shows that since the early 1980s, finance-dominated capitalism has affected long-run economic developments via three distinct channels: • the re-distribution of income at the expense of low labour incomes, • the dampening of investment in real capital stock, • and an increasing potential for wealth-based and debt-financed consumption. the author concludes that against the background of these basic macroeconomic tendencies, increasing instability potentials at the national economy levels and rising current account imbalances at both global and European levels have developed and have contributed to the severity of the Great Recession. This systematic study of finance-dominated capitalism presented from a macroeconomic perspective will prove a thought-provoking read for academics, researchers, graduate students and economic policy consultants with an interest in macroeconomics, financial economics, economic policies, and distribution and growth.

Hans van Zon analyzes the financialization of developed capitalism, and argues that the emergence of finance as a dominant force has contributed to the relative decline of the West. He demonstrates that the neo-liberal model is inherently unstable and undermines capitalist economies, which can only function if they are embedded in institutions that are non- or even pre-capitalist. He shows how a toxic combination of financialization, corporate globalization, and a deregulated and parasitic financial industry have led to structural economic stagnation in both the USA and the greater part of the EU.

The term financialization is a term that has become popular to describe developments within the global economy, and particularly within developed industrialized economies, over the past thirty years. The book is divided into four sections, which together give a comprehensive treatment of the economics and political economy of financialization.

In The Death of Capital, respected portfolio manager and longtime investment professional Michael Lewitt looks at how the U.S. economy has increasingly been dominated by short-term speculation rather than industrial expansion in recent years. These disastrous trends, described here as financialization, ignore the fact that capital itself is a highly unstable process rather than a fixed object or category. As a result of our failure to understand the true nature of capital, we have developed a financial and regulatory system that does exactly the opposite of what it should be doing—favoring obscurity over transparency and fomenting instability rather than growth. In explaining where we have gone wrong Lewitt pulls few punches in criticizing some of the counterproductive forces that have led to the death of capital—including Wall Street practices such as private equity and derivatives trading—which he views both as economically unproductive and morally misguided. Page by informative page, this timely guide: Addresses "financialization" and its consequences, such as a weaker U.S. dollar, the destruction of American industries, and the loss of American economic and political influence Explores the most important aspects of capital and capitalism through the prism of four of the world’s great economic thinkers Discusses how the legal system aided economic weakening by privileging short-term investment goals Calls for politically controversial reforms such as stricter regulation of hedge funds and private equity firms, banning naked credit default swaps and Structured Investment Vehicles, and principles-based reforms to improve systemic stability Financial reform is needed to make sure capital does not die again. Filled with in-depth insights and practical advice, The Death of Capital is not just a play-by-play of the recent financial crisis, but an original and passionate analysis of the trends that led to it and what can be done in a regulatory sense to address the problems.

The recent financial meltdown and the resulting global recession have rekindled debates regarding the nature of contemporary capitalism. This book analyses the ongoing financialization of the economy as a development within capitalism, and explores the ways in which it has changed the organization of capitalist power. The authors offer an interpretation of the role of the financial sphere which displays a striking contrast to the majority of contemporary heterodox approaches. Their interpretation stresses the crucial role of financial derivatives in the contemporary organization of capitalist power relations, arguing that the process of financialization is in fact entirely unthinkable in the absence of derivatives. The book also uses Marx’s concepts and some of the arguments developed in the framework of the historic Marxist controversies on economic crises in order to gain an insight into the modern neoliberal form of capitalism and the recent financial crisis. Employing a series of international case studies, this book will be essential reading for all those with an interest in the financial crisis, and all those seeking to comprehend the workings of capitalism.

After more than two decades of widespread hardship for most nations, what are the different paths available for them to resume steady growth and welfare? Will they actually succeed in building new growth models that meet the challenges of the present phase of internationalisation? This book attempts to answer these questions by analysing different perspectives and discussing the conditions for new national growth trajectories to emerge.