Offshore Finance and State Power

Offshore financial centers provide a legal framework that is strong on property rights and soft on taxation and regulation, affecting the power of the state. Economic actors go offshore to create money more than to hide it, and legal offshore banking trumps tax planning or money laundering in its impact on state power. The relationship between offshore finance and state power is complex, with offshore finance can limit state power by transmitting the volatility of unregulated offshore banking into the domestic economy, but it can also enhance state power by providing governments with an extraterritorial vehicle to cover up political conflicts and mitigate class conflict.

Format: Hardback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 09 February 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Offshore financial centers, including Luxembourg, the Cayman Islands, and the City of London, offer a robust legal framework for non-residents, emphasizing property rights and offering a favorable tax and regulatory environment. Building on a comparative analysis of Britain, Germany, Brazil, and Mexico, Offshore Finance and State Power explores the impact of offshore financial services on state power. Combining a concept analysis with empirical research, the book reveals that economic actors opt for offshore banking to generate money rather than conceal it. Legal offshore banking holds greater sway over state power than tax planning or money laundering. Furthermore, the relationship between offshore finance and state power is intricate. While offshore finance can limit state power by transmitting the volatility of unregulated offshore banking into the domestic economy, it can also enhance state power by providing governments with an extraterritorial means to address political conflicts over state financing and mitigate class conflicts. The extent to which a state can harness offshore finances depends on its domestic elite constellation and the historical tax and bank bargains it has negotiated.

Offshore financial centers, including Luxembourg, the Cayman Islands, and the City of London, offer a robust legal framework for non-residents, emphasizing property rights and offering a favorable tax and regulatory environment. Building on a comparative analysis of Britain, Germany, Brazil, and Mexico, Offshore Finance and State Power explores the impact of offshore financial services on state power. Combining a concept analysis with empirical research, the book reveals that economic actors opt for offshore banking to generate money rather than conceal it. Legal offshore banking holds greater sway over state power than tax planning or money laundering. Furthermore, the relationship between offshore finance and state power is intricate. While offshore finance can limit state power by transmitting the volatility of unregulated offshore banking into the domestic economy, it can also enhance state power by providing governments with an extraterritorial means to address political conflicts over state financing and mitigate class conflicts. The extent to which a state can harness offshore finances depends on its domestic elite constellation and the historical tax and bank bargains it has negotiated.

Weight: 492g
Dimension: 242 x 161 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192870124