The Politics of Global Finance

Actors, Structures, Ratings

In Zusammenarbeit mit der University of Warwick

Leitung: Giulia Mennillo / Lena Rethel

Sekretariat: Iryna Bielefeld, Tel.: 08158 / 256-53

The politics of global finance cannot be solely reduced to the power that financial actors exert over states. Instead, a much greater range of actors and structures needs to be considered to pinpoint the sources of political power and influence at work within financial markets, demonstrating the significance of private power and authority within structures of global governance. Timothy J. Sinclair’s work on the politics of credit ratings has been exemplary of such an approach, providing an important legacy for the field of International Political Economy. The demystification of markets as apolitical spaces, the challenge of the notion that markets work according to mechanistic laws of behaviour, and the life-long enquiry into the constitutive social practices of global finance has inspired a whole new generation of scholars. With this workshop, we want to celebrate Tim’s work and learn from early career researchers who explore the politics of global finance broadly conceived and have been inspired in their work by Tim’s scholarship. The event also features roundtable discussions on The Politics of Credit Ratings and Future Directions in the Politics of Global Finance.