The nation's recent financial crisis brought into sharp relief fundamental questions concerning the social function and purpose of the financial system, including its relation to the "real" economy. This Article argues that, to answer these questions, we must recapture a distinctively American...

Introduction / Luc Bernier, Massimo Florio and Philippe Bance -- The scope of the phenomenon -- Perspectives on history and geography -- Approaches to the study of state-owned enterprises -- Financial dimensions of public ownership -- Issues about governance -- The activities and performance of...