Explorations in Financial Ethics

The breakdown of Bretton Woods liberalised financial markets from extensive government control. Increasing deregulation and technological innovation created truly global financial markets, the perfect companions for global business and shareholder philosophy. But this swift evolution did not occur without specific risks or accidents. Financial crises surged at the slightest provocation, causing havoc around the globe. They were the painful reminders that the increasingly virtual, abstract and remote world of finance still exerts a serious impact on our everyday life. Is it because of their abstract nature that there hardly exists any systematic ethical reflection on the functioning of financial markets? The present volume makes an attempt to fill this gap. The authors question the efficiency of the financial system, the present state of financial regulation, the role of central bankers and the functioning of exchange and derivative markets. This collection of essays represents the outcome of a three year research project at the Center for Ethics of the University of Antwerp (UFSIA) which has been executed by a multi-disciplinary team of philosophers and economists.