Scott James - Böcker

The problem of banks being 'too big to fail' was the defining regulatory issue of the global financial crisis. However, attempts to tackle the problem by separating retail banking from higher risk trading activities - known as structural reform - proved to be highly divisive and contributed to significant regulatory divergence. In this book, David Howarth and Scott James explain this variation by examining the politics of bank structural reform across six key jurisdictions: the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Integrating political economy and public policy approaches, they develop a novel 'comparative financial power' framework to analyse how financial industry influence is mediated by two factors: first, whether bank lobbying is unified and centralized (cooperative financial power) or divided and fragmented (competitive financial power); and second, policy makers' use of venue shifting to depoliticize contentious policy issues. The book explains that the US and UK governments implemented major reforms because the banking industry was divided and faced significant opposition. However, venue shifting to an independent committee led to durable reform in the UK, while political polarization in the US contributed to contested reform. By contrast, the French and German governments balanced unified bank lobbying and political pressures to act by pursuing limited symbolic reforms; the Dutch government deflected the issue through delegation to multiple commissions (no reform); while political stalemate at the EU level resulted from early venue shifting and concerted pan-European bank lobbying. The book makes a major contribution to scholarship on the political economy of finance and business power.

The UK and Multi-level Financial Regulation examines the role of the United Kingdom (UK) in shaping post-crisis financial regulatory reform, and assesses the implications of the UK's withdrawal from the European Union (EU). It develops a domestic political economy approach to examine how the interaction of three domestic groups - elected officials, financial regulators, and the financial industry - shaped UK preferences, strategy, and influence in international and EU-level regulatory negotiations. The framework is applied to five case studies: bank capital and liquidity requirements; bank recovery and resolution rules; bank structural reforms; hedge fund regulation; and the regulation of over-the-counter derivatives. It concludes by reflecting on the future of UK financial regulation after Brexit.The book argues that UK regulators pursued more stringent regulation when they had strong political support to resist financial industry lobbying. UK regulators promoted international harmonisation of rules when this protected the competitiveness of industry or enabled cross-border externalities to be managed more effectively; but were often more resistant to new EU rules when these threatened UK interests. Consequently, the UK was more successful at shaping international standards by leveraging its market power, regulatory capacity, and alliance building (with the US). But it often met with greater political resistance at the EU level, forcing it to use legal challenges to block reform or secure exemptions. The book concludes that political and regulatory pressure was pivotal in defining the UK's 'hard' Brexit position, and so the future UK-EU relationship in finance will most likely be based on a framework of regulatory equivalence.

Help your child discover the importance of talking to God during all types of situations with this picture book that explores the use of breath prayers. Throughout, kids will learn that each of their direct praises, quick thanks, and whispered requests can bring them peace and build a stronger relationship with their heavenly Father.God loves it when His children talk to Him—and connecting with God can be as easy as using a simple word or phrase. Deep Breath, Little Whisper introduces the idea of breath prayers by using a series of kid-friendly scenarios and engaging text to show young readers how they can have a conversation with God in the moment, wherever they are and however they’re feeling. Each example also helps remind them that prayer doesn’t have to be big and complex to be meaningful—it just has to come from the heart.The illustrated book is perfect for:read-aloud or prayer timeintroducing breath prayers into your familyhelping children from preschool to early elementary develop a relationship with God through easy-to-remember prayers and promptsteaching different types of prayers, including praise and adoration, thanksgiving, intercessory, and confessionshowing kids how they can calm their minds and turn to God no matter what happens

As two of the longest serving prime ministers in Europe, Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern were in power during one of the most tumultuous periods of European integration. This book offers a unique and fascinating insight into how they responded to the demands and opportunities of European Union membership at the national level. Drawing on extensive interviews with key figures, it explores how the two leaders sought to radically reshape the EU policy making process in the UK and Ireland in order to further their strategic policy agendas. It therefore asks three key questions. How did the national EU policy process change between 1997 and 2007? To what extent did the UK and Irish policy processes converge or diverge? Did the reforms enhance the projection of national policy?These important empirical and comparative questions are related to broader theoretical and conceptual debates concerning Europeanisation. By employing highly innovative conceptual and analytical frameworks, the book considers what these reforms tell us about the nature of the ‘EU effect’ in different member states. Do governments simply adjust to EU-level pressures for change or try to adapt strategically in order to maximise their influence? Are the changes attributable to political agency or do they derive from longer-term structural developments in Brussels? These timely questions should be of great interest to both students and academics of European, British and Irish politics, policy practitioners within government, as well as anyone concerned with understanding the politics and policies that defined these two influential prime ministers.

Beautifully Illustrated Children’s Book Celebrates God’s Creative CultivationFrom creation to final restoration, Scripture paints a vivid picture of God as a gardener—sowing seeds, planting gardens, and bringing life through the power of his word. The Sower introduces this biblical imagery to young readers to help them understand the story of redemptive history and look forward to future reconciliation.Vibrant illustrations complement the book’s lyrical style to engage a child’s imagination and display God’s cultivating work in creation and in the hearts of his people. Ideal for Children Ages 5–10: Introduces the grand story of redemption in an artistic, imaginative wayIntroduction to Biblical Theology: Traces the theme of God as a gardener, cultivator, and vinedresser throughout the BibleEngaging and Elegant: Vivid illustrations by Stephen Crotts inspire wonder at God’s creative work in our hearts and in the world