Gender and Finance

Gender and Finance PDF

Author: Ylva Baeckström

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2022-02-25

Total Pages: 115

ISBN-13: 100054396X

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This book examines the world of finance and the role of gender within it. It looks at the financial services industry, arguably the most powerful and remunerative sector that exists, and shows how it was created by men for men. The author explains how historically women were excluded, how minimal progress has been made, and outlines how the sector still needs to change to function effectively in a modern, equal opportunities world. Addressing gender inequality in financial services is of utmost urgency and importance because of the extent to which it affects women in all stages of life. Women’s exclusion in financial services is also mirrored by how men have been excluded from parenting through a similar set of societal expectations, government legislation and corporate policies. The author maintains that to succeed, we need to address both financial services and parenting. To do so we need regulatory support. Because of its power and dominance, the financial services industry has the opportunity to lead this change and to champion gender equal practices. These practices are economically beneficial to all participants, not only female employees and consumers. We all need these benefits as we rebuild our economies following the COVID-19 pandemic. The book makes an important contribution to the critical and increasing awareness of gender concerns. It presents insights drawn from original research and data about gender biases. The book is an essential secondary text for a range of university courses, including economics, finance and accounting, business studies and gender related courses, as well as MBAs and Executive Education programmes that focus on gender in business. It is also a must read for policy makers, managers in financial services institutions and any other businesses that seek to attract the growing market of female consumers, employees and business leaders.

Finance and Inequality

Finance and Inequality PDF

Author: Mr.Martin Cihak

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2020-01-17

Total Pages: 50

ISBN-13: 1513526545

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The study examines empirical relationships between income inequality and three features of finance: depth (financial sector size relative to the economy), inclusion (access to and use of financial services by individuals and firms), and stability (absence of financial distress). Using new data covering a wide range of countries, the analysis finds that the financial sector can play a role in reducing inequality, complementing redistributive fiscal policy. By expanding the provision of financial services to low-income households and small businesses, it can serve as a powerful lever in helping create a more inclusive society but—if not well managed—it can amplify inequalities.

Finance and Inequality

Finance and Inequality PDF

Author: Mr.Martin Cihak

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2020-01-17

Total Pages: 50

ISBN-13: 1513526545

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The study examines empirical relationships between income inequality and three features of finance: depth (financial sector size relative to the economy), inclusion (access to and use of financial services by individuals and firms), and stability (absence of financial distress). Using new data covering a wide range of countries, the analysis finds that the financial sector can play a role in reducing inequality, complementing redistributive fiscal policy. By expanding the provision of financial services to low-income households and small businesses, it can serve as a powerful lever in helping create a more inclusive society but—if not well managed—it can amplify inequalities.

Finance, Growth, and Inequality

Finance, Growth, and Inequality PDF

Author: Mr. Ross Levine

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2021-06-11

Total Pages: 80

ISBN-13: 1513583360

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Finance and growth emerged as a distinct field of economics during the last three decades as economists integrated the fields of finance and economic growth and then explored the ramifications of the functioning of financial systems on economic growth, income distribution, and poverty. In this paper, I review theoretical and empirical research on the connections between the operation of the financial system and economic growth and inequality. While subject to ample qualifications, the preponderance of evidence suggests that (1) financial development—both the development of banks and stock markets—spurs economic growth and (2) better functioning financial systems foster growth primarily by improving resource allocation and technological change, not by increasing saving rates. Some research also suggests that financial development expands economic opportunities and tightens income distribution, primarily by boosting the incomes of the poor. This work implies that financial development fosters growth by expanding opportunities. Finally, and more tentatively, financial innovation—improvements in the ability of financial systems to ameliorate information and transaction costs—may be necessary for sustaining growth.

Inequality and Fiscal Policy

Inequality and Fiscal Policy PDF

Author: Mr.Benedict J. Clements

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2015-09-21

Total Pages: 450

ISBN-13: 1513567756

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The sizeable increase in income inequality experienced in advanced economies and many parts of the world since the 1990s and the severe consequences of the global economic and financial crisis have brought distributional issues to the top of the policy agenda. The challenge for many governments is to address concerns over rising inequality while simultaneously promoting economic efficiency and more robust economic growth. The book delves into this discussion by analyzing fiscal policy and its link with inequality. Fiscal policy is the government’s most powerful tool for addressing inequality. It affects households ‘consumption directly (through taxes and transfers) and indirectly (via incentives for work and production and the provision of public goods and individual services such as education and health). An important message of the book is that growth and equity are not necessarily at odds; with the appropriate mix of policy instruments and careful policy design, countries can in many cases achieve better distributional outcomes and improve economic efficiency. Country studies (on the Netherlands, China, India, Republic of Congo, and Brazil) demonstrate the diversity of challenges across countries and their differing capacity to use fiscal policy for redistribution. The analysis presented in the book builds on and extends work done at the IMF, and also includes contributions from leading academics.

Divested

Divested PDF

Author: Ken-Hou Lin

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2020-01-06

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 0190638311

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Finance is an inescapable part of American life. From how one pursues an education, buys a home, runs a business, or saves for retirement, finance orders the lives of ordinary Americans. And as finance continues to expand, inequality soars. In Divested, Ken-Hou Lin and Megan Tobias Neely demonstrate why widening inequality cannot be understood without examining the rise of big finance. The growth of the financial sector has dramatically transformed the American economy by redistributing resources from workers and families into the hands of owners, executives, and financial professionals. The average American is now divested from a world driven by the maximization of financial profit. Lin and Neely provide systematic evidence to document how the ascendance of finance on Wall Street, Main Street, and among households is a fundamental cause of economic inequality. They argue that finance has reshaped the economy in three important ways. First, the financial sector extracts resources from the economy at large without providing economic benefits to those outside the financial services industry. Second, firms in other economic sectors have become increasingly involved in lending and investing, which weakens the demand for labor and the bargaining power of workers. And third, the escalating consumption of financial products by households shifts risks and uncertainties once shouldered by unions, corporations, and governments onto families. A clear, comprehensive, and convincing account of the forces driving economic inequality in America, Divested warns us that the most damaging consequence of the expanding financial system is not simply recurrent financial crises but a widening social divide between the have and have-nots.

Public Debt, Inequality, and Power

Public Debt, Inequality, and Power PDF

Author: Sandy Brian Hager

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2016-06-24

Total Pages: 173

ISBN-13: 0520284666

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Introduction : public debt, inequality and power -- The spectacle of a highly centralized public debt -- The bondholding class resurgent -- Fiscal conflict : past and present -- Bonding domestic and foreign owners -- Who rules the debt state? -- Conclusion : informing democratic debate -- Appendix : accounting for the public debt

Economic Inequality and Income Distribution

Economic Inequality and Income Distribution PDF

Author: D. G. Champernowne

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 432

ISBN-13: 9780521589598

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Economic inequality has become a focus of prime interest for economic analysts and policy makers. This book provides an integrated approach to the topics of inequality and personal income distribution. It covers the practical and theoretical bases for inequality analysis, applications to real world problems and the foundations of theoretical approaches to income distribution. It also analyses models of the distribution of labour earnings and of income from wealth. The long-run development of income - and wealth - distribution over many generations is also examined. Special attention is given to an assessment of the merits and weaknesses of standard economic models, to illustrating the implications of distributional mechanisms using real data and illustrative examples, and to providing graphical interpretation of formal arguments. Examples are drawn from US, UK and international sources.

Finance, Growth and Inequality

Finance, Growth and Inequality PDF

Author: Louis-Philippe Rochon

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 1788973690

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This book brings together some leading and emerging scholars who bring an alternative view on some of the most pressing issues of today. In addition to key concepts in post-Keynesian and heterodox economics, the authors also explore financialization, debt, income distribution, and policies, and the emerging threat of dualism. Policy makers and scholars alike will find the book a much need addition to the field.

Finance and Income Inequality

Finance and Income Inequality PDF

Author: George R. G. Clarke

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 32

ISBN-13:

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Although theoretical models make distinct predictions about the relationship between financial sector development and income inequality, little empirical research has been conducted to compare their relative explanatory power. Clarke, Xu, and Zou examine the relation between financial intermediary development and income inequality in a panel data set of 91 countries for the period 1960-95. Their results provide evidence that inequality decreases as economies develop their financial intermediaries, consistent with the theoretical models in Galor and Zeira (1993) and Banerjee and Newman (1993). Moreover, consistent with the insight of Kuznets, the relation between the Gini coefficient and financial intermediary development appears to depend on the sectoral structure of the economy: a larger modern sector is associated with a smaller drop in the Gini coefficient for the same level of financial intermediary development. But there is no evidence of an inverted-U-shaped relation between financial sector development and income inequality, as suggested by Greenwood and Jovanovic (1990). The results are robust to controlling for biases introduced by simultaneity. This paper--a product of Investment Climate, Development Research Group--is part of a larger effort in the group to understand the link between economic development and financial sector performance.