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BUSTING THE BANKER'S CLUB
FINANCE FOR THE REST OF US
by Gerald Epstein
Bankers brought the global economic system to its knees in 2007 and nearly did the same in 2020. Both times, the US government bailed out the banks and left them in control. How can we end this cycle of trillion-dollar bailouts and make finance work for the rest of us? Busting the Bankers' Club confronts the powerful people and institutions that benefit from our broken financial system—and the struggle to create an alternative.
The Bankers' Club description here. Bankers brought the global economic system to its knees in 2007 and nearly did the same in 2020. Both times, the US government bailed out the banks and left them in control. How can we end this cycle of trillion-dollar bailouts and make finance work for the rest of us? Busting the Bankers' Club confronts the powerful people and institutions that benefit from our broken financial system—and the struggle to create an alternative.
ADDITIONAL RESEARCH & COMMENTARY
Economics and the Left: Interviews with Progressive Economists
Book/Interview, September 2021
The Public Banking Movement in the United States: Networks, Agenda, Initiatives, and Challenges
with Esra Ugurlu | Working Paper, March 2021
How Much Should We Trust Five-Year Averaging to Purge Business Cycle Effects?
with Simon Sturn | January 2021
Are Bankers Essential Workers?
with Esra Ugurlu | Journal Article, September 2020
'"Gerald Epstein has done something that has needed doing since 2008 -- he has written a book that explains our complex, captured financial system to the lay reader. In simple, clear prose, he outlines why we are still fighting financial fires, and what we can do to bridge the Wall Street-Main Street divide. A wonderful way to understand how finance became the tail that wags the dog of our economy. "
—Financial Times
"This is an eye-opening, must-read blockbuster of a book showing how banks' money and power corrupts Washington and our financial system. Compellingly and insightfully connecting the dots, Gerald Epstein details how the bankers' club is also a literal club, beating down opposition and hardworking Americans, and concludes with a visionary plan for how the system can be changed to benefit all Americans."
—Dennis M. Kelleher, President and CEO of Better Markets
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Links to various outside websites, etc.
with Robert Pollin | Boston Review, June 2021
Economics and the Left: Interviews with Progressive Economists
Book/Interview, September 2021
The Public Banking Movement in the United States: Networks, Agenda, Initiatives, and Challenges
with Esra Ugurlu | Working Paper, March 2021
How Much Should We Trust Five-Year Averaging to Purge Business Cycle Effects?
with Simon Sturn | January 2021
Are Bankers Essential Workers?
with Esra Ugurlu | Journal Article, September 2020
politicians, economists, lawyers, and CEOs who sustain the status quo.
Thankfully, there are thousands of activists, experts, and public officials who are working to do just that. Clear-eyed and hopeful, Busting the Bankers' Club centers the individuals and groups fighting for a financial system that will better serve the needs of the marginalized and support important transitions to a greener, fairer economy.
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