Back to the Future: Government, Financial Institutions and the Global Financial Crisis

“Forced to bail out an industry too strategically important to fail systemically, government is firmly inside the financial services tent where it is set to remain for a considerable time.” — Back to the Future: Government, Financial Institutions and the Global Financial Crisis

The global financial crisis has spurred a level of government involvement in the financial services sector that would have been unimaginable two years ago. Given the complexity of each financial institution’s situation, difficult market conditions and an unattractive disposable environment, it will likely be five to seven years before governments are able to fully divest their stakes in the private sector. For the foreseeable future, this means that governments around the world will play an integral role in shaping the financial services industry.

This UK-based report Back to the Future examines government’s impact as temporary owners of the financial sectors and how they can navigate through three key public policy challenges:

• Government must seek to be ‘good owners’, focusing on wider social and economic objectives as well as narrow financial goals as shareholders;
• They must rebuild the confidence and trust that are essential for the financial system to function efficiently; and
• They must put in place credible plans to address the financial deficits.

To download the full report, register at our Public Sector Research Centre.