Speaker:  Dr Emily Jones, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford
Chair: Professor Victor Murinde, SOAS University of London
Time: Wednesday, 22 January 2020, 13:00-15:00
Venue: S314 (Paul Webley Wing, Senate House), SOAS University of London

Abstract
International banking standards are intended for the regulation of large, complex, risk-taking international banks with trillions of dollars in assets and operations across the globe. Yet they are being implemented in countries with nascent financial markets and small banks that have yet to venture into international markets. Why is this? In this presentation Emily Jones will present the findings of a DFID-ESRC research programme which explored the politics of banking regulation in eleven countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The research shows how financial globalization generates strong reputational and competitive incentives for developing countries to converge on international standards. Politicians, regulators, and large banks in developing countries implement international standards to attract international investment, bolster their professional standing, and further integrate their countries into global finance. Convergence is not inevitable or uniform: implementation is often contested and regulators adapt international standards to the local context. The research contributes to our understanding of the ways in which governments and firms in the core of global finance powerfully shape regulatory decisions in the periphery, and the ways that governments and firms from peripheral developing countries manoeuvre within the constraints and opportunities created by financial globalization.

Seminar presenter

Dr Emily Jones is an Associate Professor in Public Policy and Director of the Global Economic Governance Programme at Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford. She is also a Fellow of University College. Emily’s research examines the political economy of global trade and finance, focusing on the ways in which governments can exert influence in asymmetric negotiations. Emily teaches courses on international political economy and negotiation strategy and skills for public policy, specialising in international trade. She recently ran executive short courses for the UK and Indonesian governments. Emily Jones previously worked in Ghana's Ministry of Trade and Industry, for Oxfam GB, and for the UK Department for International Development. She is a regular contributor to the World Trade Organization’s advanced policy training course, and has acted as a consultant for a range of international organizations including for the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Overseas Development Institute, the German Marshall Fund, and Oxfam International.