Citizen's guide to the globalisation of finance

Globalisation of finance has surpassed the globalisation of production and has gained a life of its own. This guide provides a key to understanding the intricacies of this process. The main argument running through the guide is that global financial flows are no longer associated with the flows of real resources and long-term productive investments. Attracted by short-term speculative gains, these flows are highly liquid, and can leave the country as quickly as they come. With the rapid decline in the degree of control and manoeuvrability, national governments find it difficult to pursue independent economic policies which are inconsistent with the interests of global finance capital.

The adverse impact of these global financial flows on the national economies is taken up for analysis, concentrating on the currency crisis that erupted in Mexico, and the ongoing currency turmoil in various Southeast and East Asian countries. In this background the dangers of India's recent moves towards opening its doors to global finance capital are emphasised. The book argues for putting into place effective regulatory mechanisms and pleads for mass citizen action to implement these and exercise social control over global finance capital.