Financialization revisited: the economics and political economy of the vampire squid economy

Thomas Palley

No PKWP2110, Working Papers from Post Keynesian Economics Society (PKES)

Abstract: This paper explores the economics and political economy of financialization using Matt Taibbi’s vampire squid metaphor to characterize it. The paper makes five innovations. First, it focuses on the mechanics of the “vampire squid” process whereby financialization rotates through the economy loading sector balance sheets with debt. Second, it identifies the critical role of government budget deficits for the financialization process. Third, it identifies the critical role of central banks, which are the lynchpin of the system and now serve as de facto guarantors of the value and liquidity of private sector liabilities. Fourth, the paper argues financialization imposes a form of policy lock-in. Fifth, it argues financialization transforms popular attitudes and understandings, thereby generating political support despite poor economic outcomes. In effect, there is a politics of financialization that goes hand-in-hand with the economics. The paper concludes with some observations on why mainstream macroeconomics has no equivalent construct to financialization and discusses the disquieting unexplored terrain that the economy is now in.

Keywords: financialization; debt; central banks; lock-in (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E10 E44 E58 G18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 53
Date: 2021-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hme, nep-mac and nep-pke
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Journal Article: Financialization revisited: the economics and political economy of the vampire squid economy (2021)
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