Varieties of liberalism: Anglo-Saxon capitalism in crisis? Sue Konzelmann, Marc Fovargue-Davies & Gerhard Schnyder SASE ANNUAL MEETINGS Madrid, 27 June 2011
Market capitalization & Cost of bank bail-outs Change ($bn) Bank bail-out package as a % GDP (March 2009) Canada % Australia % UK % USA % Source: Financial Times, 23 March 2009, p values are as of 31 May 1999; 2009 values are as of 17 March 2009; Stewart 2009.
Contemporary economic liberalism The return to economic liberalism Varieties of economic liberalism –Neo-classical liberalism: Britain & America –Pragmatic liberalism, akin to Ordoliberalism: Canada & Australia Variety stems from interpretation of theory and translation into policy –Private sector and the state; financial sector and the broader economy
The return to liberal capitalism The return to economic liberalism in the Anglo- Saxon world during the 1970s –US discontinues gold backing of the American dollar, leading to the collapse of Bretton Woods –UK introduces policy of Competition & Credit Control and makes a Dash for Growth Reaganomics and Thatcherism –Shift in balance in favour of the private sector – finance in particular – relative to the state Pragmatic liberalisation in Canada and Australia –Liberalization accompanied by market friendly regulation
Early effects & responses to crises Australias corporate cowboys The American Savings & Loan crisis Canadian and British bank, insurance trust & investment house failures Looking into the abyss …
Financial market liberalization Financial Market liberalisation & regulation –US & UK: May day 1975 & Big Bang 1986 –Canada & Australia: incremental & prudential Britain & America: light touch regulation & return of global finance –Framework of regulation: UK integrated & US diffuse Canada & Australia: Incremental liberalization & re- regulation –National branch banking system –Framework of regulation evolves into twin peaks
The structuring role of theory and policy, tempered by context Getting it right & getting it wrong? Ordoliberalism Varieties of liberalism & the crisis of contemporary capitalism Conclusions