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The monetary system is the indispensable missing link in the debate of sustainability, and whether the current financial system can handle these evolved needs. To date, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) primarily have been financed either through the private sector, through conventional public sector taxes and fees, or through philanthropic commitment. Assuming a need of 4 to 5 trillion dollars annually in the 10 to 15 years left to finance our future, these conventional sources of finance are insufficient in terms of both the scale and speed of funding required to finance our future. Furthermore, the inherent instability of our financial system forces the world community to focus first and foremost on repairing and stabilizing the existing system. The development of cryptocurrencies using distributed ledger technologies (mainly blockchain) has prompted leading central banks to study the potential application of this approach to independently create purchasing power. In this vein, this book offers a new approach, namely introducing a parallel electronic currency specifically designed to finance global common goods and provide the resources necessary to achieve the SDGs. Furthermore, this mechanism would have a stabilizing effect on the existing monetary system. The book argues that one way this could be achieved is by giving central banks a modified monetary mandate to inject new liquidity into the system using a top-down approach. Alternatively, liquidity could come from corporate or communal initiatives with crypto- or communal currencies in a bottom-up approach. The author maintains that by issuing a blockchain-enabled parallel electronic currency earmarked for SDG-related projects and using other channels for monetary flow rather than the conventional ones, the future could be financed in a different manner. In the long run, abandoning our current monetary monoculture and introducing a monetary ecosystem would stabilize international financial markets, increase monetary regulatory efforts, reduce negative externalities, create a social Pareto optimum and stabilize democracies. This book presents, in the same spirit as Fritjof Capra's The Tao of Physics, a Tao of finance--an outside-of-the-box approach to financing global common goods.
How to reimagine finance against the many threats to the future of the species: a blueprint for sustainable finance Daily bad news about climate change, shrinking resources, global health crises, species extinction and growing inequalities cause tremendous anxiety and insecurity, especially since the COVID pandemic. The ambition of this book is to explain in simple but precise terms, by means of concise illustrations, what "finance" is, and how its most innovative form, sustainable finance, can reconcile the well-being of mankind with the capacities of our planet. Is there a way to convince society that a fundamental transition is necessary--or even more, that it is possible? Can sustainable finance help? Financing Our Common Futureoffers encouraging perspectives by showing how little-known groups of financial stakeholders, such as development banks, are actively working to make sustainable finance happen. The book invites you to enjoy a journey through a multitude of situations, to question our preconceptions and to open our mindset so we can envision better ways of moving forward.
During the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, our financial infrastructure failed. Governments bailed out the very institutions that let the economy down. This episode spurred a serious rethink of our financial system. Does it make any sense that it takes two days to settle a stock transaction? Why do retailers, operating on razor thin margins, have to pay 3% for every customer credit card swipe? Why does it take two days to transfer money from a bank account to a brokerage—or any other company? Why are savings rates miniscule or negative? Why is it so difficult for entrepreneurs to get financing at traditional banks? In DeFi and the Future of Finance, Campbell R. Harvey, Ashwin Ramachandran and Joey Santoro, introduce the new world of Decentralized Finance. The book argues that the current financial landscape is ripe for disruption and we are seeing, in real time, the reinvention of finance. The authors provide the reader with a clear assessment of the problems with the current financial system and how DeFi solves many of these problems. The essence of DeFi is that we interact with peers—there is no brick and mortar and all of the associated costs. Savings and lending are reinvented. Trading takes place with algorithms far removed from traditional brokerages. The book conducts a deep dive on some of the most innovative protocols such as Uniswap and Compound. Many of the companies featured in the book you might not have heard of—however, you will in the future. As with any new technology, there are a myriad of risks and the authors carefully catalogue these risks and assess which ones can be successfully mitigated. Ideally suited for people working in any part of the finance industry as well as financial policy makers, DeFi and the Future of Finance gives readers a vision of the future. The world of finance will fundamentally be changed over the coming decade. The book enables you to become part of the disruption – not the target of the disruption.
How finance is a mechanism of social and political domination The 2007–08 credit crisis and the long recession that followed brutally exposed the economic and social costs of financialization. Understanding what lay behind these events, the rise of “fictitious capital” and its opaque logic, is crucial to grasping the social and political conditions under which we live. Yet, for most people, the operations of the financial system remain shrouded in mystery. In this lucid and compelling book, economist Cédric Durand offers a concise and critical introduction to the world of finance, unveiling the truth behind the credit crunch. Fictitious Capital moves beyond moralizing tales about greedy bankers, short-sighted experts and compromised regulators to look at the big picture. Using comparative data covering the last four decades, Durand examines the relationship between trends such as the rise in private and public debt and the proliferation of financial products; norms such as our habitual assumptions about the production of value and financial stability; and the relationship of all this to political power. Fictitious Capital offers a stark warning about the direction that the international economy is taking. Durand argues that the accelerated expansion of financial operations is a sign of the declining power of the economies of the Global North. The City, Wall Street and other centres of the power of money, he suggests, may already be caked with the frosts of winter.
How to use finance as a tool to build a more equitable and sustainable society. Money defines our present and will shape our future. Every investment decision we make adds a chapter to the story of what our world will look like. Although the idea of mission-based finance has been around for decades, there is a gap between organizations' stated intention to "do good" and meaningful impact. Still, some are succeeding. In Just Money, Katrin Kaufer and Lillian Steponaitis take readers on a global tour of financial institutions that use finance as a force for good.
A collection of company profiles that “succeeds in demonstrating how more sustainable business ventures can function in practice” (Publishers Weekly). As long as businesses are set up to focus exclusively on maximizing financial income for the few, our economy will be locked into endless growth and widening inequality. But now people are experimenting with new forms of ownership, which Marjorie Kelly calls generative: aimed at creating the conditions for life for many generations to come. These designs may hold the key to the deep transformation our civilization needs. To understand these emerging alternatives, Kelly reports from all over the world, visiting a community-owned wind facility in Massachusetts, a lobster cooperative in Maine, a multibillion-dollar employee-owned department-store chain in London, a foundation-owned pharmaceutical company in Denmark, a farmer-owned dairy in Wisconsin, and other places where a hopeful new economy is being built. Along the way, she finds the five essential patterns of ownership design that make these models work. “This magnificent book is a kind of recipe for how civilization might cope with its too-big-to-fail problem. It’s a hardheaded, clear-eyed, and therefore completely moving account of what a different world might look like—what it already does look like in enough places that you will emerge from its pages inspired to get involved.” —Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy
Social Banking describes a way of value-driven banking that has a positive social and ecological impact at its heart, as well as its own economic sustainability. Although it has a long and successful history, it has arguably never been more topical than it is now in the aftermath of the latest financial crisis. Most Social Banks came out of this crisis not only unscathed but much stronger and bigger than they were before. And contrary to their conventional peers, none of the Social Banks had to be bailed out with public funds. This increasingly attracts the interest not only of clients searching for safe and sensible ways to deposit their funds but also of conventional banks that begin to understand the potential of a more socially oriented approach towards banking. Social Banks and the Future of Sustainable Finance is the first book to deliver a comprehensive and detailed overview about the past, present and possible future of Social and Sustainable Banking for researchers, students and a professional audience. The authors are experts from research and practice and have bee involved in Social Banking for many years. Thus they combine state-of-the-art expertise with valuable insider knowledge. The book covers the following topics: the history of Social Banking, the need for Social Banking in the current economy, the particular issues of managing a Social Bank as business enterprise, Social Banking products and services, the special role of donations and foundations for financing change, the opportunities and challenges for Social Banks lying ahead, and concrete directions for the future of Social Banking. In addition to these respective analyses are many real-world examples and interviews with representatives of Social Banks. As such, this comprehensive collection delivers valuable insights for academics, students and professionals who are interested in the growing field of Social Banking.
Banking and finance play a fundamental role in public policy and economic performance as well as in all forms of commerce and industry. They are crucial in determining whether society - from governments to individual consumers - succeeds in following an environmentally sustainable path. However, those working in the financial sector are largely unaware of the rationale and pressures for sustainable development and its bearing on their work, while those in the relevant research and policy areas commonly overlook how vital the financial sector is for progress. Marcel Jeucken sets out to rectify this state of affairs, in a style which is accessible to those with no experience of environmental finance issues. He provides a comprehensive account of their interdependence: why the financial sector is crucial to achieving sustainability and why the triple bottom line of commercial, environmental and social success points the way forward for banking. From a systematic assessment of major banks around the world, he presents a comprehensive account of current best practice, an analysis of the differences in approach and performance, and recommendations of actions and policies for improved performance that will contribute to sustainable development.
Financial innovation can drive social, economic, and environmental change, transforming ideas into new technologies, industries, and jobs. But when it is misunderstood or mismanaged, the consequences can be severe. In this practical, accessible book, two leading experts explain how sophisticated capital structures can enable companies and individuals to raise funding in larger amounts for longer terms and at lower cost—accomplishing tasks that would otherwise be impossible. The authors recount the history and basic principles of financial innovation, showing how new instruments have evolved, and how they have been used and misused. They thoroughly demystify complex capital structures, offering a practical toolbox for entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and policymakers. Financing the Future presents clear, thorough discussions of the current role of financial innovation in capitalizing businesses, industries, breakthrough technologies, housing solutions, medical treatments, and environmental projects. It also presents a full chapter of lessons learned: essential insights for stabilizing the economy and avoiding pitfalls. Distinguishing genuine innovation from dangerous copycats Crafting sustainable financial innovations that add value and manage risk The best tools for the job: choosing them, customizing them, using them Selecting the right instruments and structures, and making the most of them Financial innovations for business, housing, and medical research Finding new and better ways to promote entrepreneurship and advance social goals Innovating to save the planet and help humanity The power of finance to protect natural resources and alleviate global poverty This is the first in a new series of books on financial innovation, published through a collaboration between Wharton School Publishing and the Milken Institute. Future titles will focus on specific policy areas such as housing and medical research. The Milken Institute is an independent economic think tank whose mission is to improve the lives and economic conditions of diverse populations in the United States and around the world by helping business and public policy leaders identify and implement innovative ideas for creating broad-based prosperity. It puts research to work with the goal of revitalizing regions and finding new ways to generate capital for people with original ideas.
While much progress has been made on achieving the Millenium Development Goals over the last decade, the number and complexity of global health challenges has persisted. Growing forces for globalization have increased the interconnectedness of the world and our interdependency on other countries, economies, and cultures. Monumental growth in international travel and trade have brought improved access to goods and services for many, but also carry ongoing and ever-present threats of zoonotic spillover and infectious disease outbreaks that threaten all. Global Health and the Future Role of the United States identifies global health priorities in light of current and emerging world threats. This report assesses the current global health landscape and how challenges, actions, and players have evolved over the last decade across a wide range of issues, and provides recommendations on how to increase responsiveness, coordination, and efficiency â€" both within the U.S. government and across the global health field.