20.02.2015
Workshop on the relationship between the financial system and society
At the invitation of the Deutsche Bundesbank, experts gathered in Hamburg in early February to discuss the role played by trust, ethics and the blurring of boundaries in the financial system in the wake of the crisis. The Hamburger Stiftung für Wirtschaftsethik took part in the workshop.
Speakers from the field of economic sociology addressed, amongst other things, observable changes in the consultant-client relationship, as well as a general loss of trust and trends towards a decline in ethical standards in financial markets. One focus was on analysing control mechanisms in the financial sector aimed at restoring trust, but also on the potential influence of clients on banks’ risk behaviour.
These topics are relevant to the Foundation’s work in the context of the various sector-specific risk analyses, as the financial market is repeatedly discussed as a catalyst for change. The full-day workshop was entitled ‘Sociological Analyses of the Financial System and Society: An Interim Assessment’.