The Regulation of Financial Markets and the European Social Model

Abstract

The regulation of financial markets generates very relevant consequences for inequality and produces important distributional effects. First, public funds used to restore financial stability and to rescue troubled financial institutions cannot be assigned to finance better infrastructures or health care. Second, financial crises destabilize productive industries, reduce investment and increaseunemployment, deterioratingmore sharplythe welfare of theweaker sections of the population.Third, depending on the regulatory framework, consumers and retail investors may see their position weakenedor suffer unexpected losses more easily. Thus it is obviousthat the regulation of financial markets significantly conditions the social model.