Financial History Review

Table of Contents - April 2012 - Volume 19, Issue 01  

The past mirror: notes, surveys, debates

The vanishing banker1

Marc Flandreaua1

a1 Graduate Institute for International Studies and Development, Geneva marc.flandreau@graduateinstitute.ch

Abstract

This article explores the relation between financial crises and economic discourse, focusing on the record of foreign debt crises. I identify a curious migration of discourse across social groups. Discourse that was previously proffered by bankers is now part of the production of economic ‘science’. I argue that this migration can be interpreted as an attempt to manage ‘speech-liability’.

(Received August 30 2011)

(Revised November 18 2011)

(Accepted November 24 2011)

(Online publication March 06 2012)

Keywords

  • reputation;
  • debt crises;
  • merchant banks;
  • Money Trust;
  • New Deal;
  • subprime crisis

JEL classification

  • G01;
  • N20

Footnotes

1 Many thanks to Cécile Bishop and an anonymous referee for detailed comments and encouragement on an earlier draft.