This paper proposes a new methodology to evaluate the economic effect of statespecific policy changes, using bank-branching deregulations in the U.S. as an example. The new method compares economic performance of contiguous counties on opposite sides of state borders, where on one side...

The centrality of finance -- Financialization and social structures of accumulation -- Realism in financial economics -- The shadow of the financial system -- The coming apart -- Rescue and the limits of reform -- Nations, globalization, and financialization -- The present in history

We exploit the introduction of free banking laws in US states during the 1837-1863 period to examine the impact of removing barriers to bank entry on bank competition and economic growth. As governments were not concerned about systemic stability in this period, we are able to isolate the...