Description
This module explores the diverse roles that money and finance have played across time and space, and the roles that we want them to play. We’ll explore debates about debt and democracy – from geographies of offshore tax and state financing, to the use of financial assets and property investment as the basis for social welfare. We’ll consider geographies of finance and development, including inequalities and inclusion in the global north, efforts to create more ethical and postcolonial approaches to finance, and the rapidly changing landscape of fintech. (Please note that these themes may vary somewhat.) Throughout, different theoretical perspectives, including those of critical, feminist and postcolonial economic geographers, will be explored. This module does not require an economics background or mathematical skills. It will suit students who enjoy critical thinking, conceptual debate and deep engagement with the geographical literature.
The module will cover the following topics, subject to variation depending on developments in research and student feedback:
Placing finance in contemporary economies
What is money and where is it created?
Financial markets and democracy: geographies of government debt and taxation
Welfare and debt
Financialisation of real estate
Financial inclusion / exclusion
Ethical and social finance
Postcolonial perspectives on migrants’ remittances and Islamic finance
Fintech: disrupting and democratising finance?
Students will develop the following transferable career skills during this module:
Critical thinking: ability to assess data and ideas. Ìý
Communication: academic writing Ìý
Communication: verbal Ìý
Presentation skills Ìý
Time management: organisation and planning of work Ìý
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 19th August 2024.
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