The financial liberalization thesis emerged in the 1970s and has been of considerable importance ever since, not merely in terms of its theoretical influence but, perhaps more importantly, in terms of its impact on policy makers and policy debates. Although it has encountered increasing scepticism over the years, it nevertheless had a relatively early impact on development policy, which still continues unabated, through the work of the IMF and the World Bank. The latter two institutions, perhaps in their traditional role as promoters of what were claimed to be free market conditions, were keen to encourage financial liberalization policies as part of more general reforms or stabilization programmes. This book explores what we have learned from the vast experience of the theoretical and policy aspects of the financial liberalization.
Philip Arestis is Professor and Director of Research at the Cambridge Centre for Economics and Public Policy, Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge, UK, and Professor at the Department of Applied Economics, University of the Basque Country, Spain. He is also Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Economics at the University of Utah, USA, and Research Associate at the Levy Economics Institute, USA. He previously served as Chief Academic (External) Adviser to the UK Government Economic Service (GES) on Professional Development in Economics. He is holder of the Queen Victoria Eugenia award of the British Hispanic Chair of Doctoral Studies, and was awarded homage by the Brazilian Keynesian Association (AKB) for his contribution to the spread of Keynesianism in Brazil. He has published a number of books and papers in academic journals.