This book provides an up-to-date overview of the development of the German financial system, with a particular focus on financialization and the financial crisis, topics that have increasingly gained attention since the crisis and the discussion on the secular stagnation started. The authors of the book-economists who have conducted extensive research in this area-offer a perspective on the financial system in the context of its importance for the overall economic system. The book not only provides detailed insights into Germany's financial system; it also takes a broader perspective on finance and connects it with current macroeconomic developments in Germany.

Inhalt
Introduction.- The Historical Development of the German Financial System.- The Growth of Finance and its Role since the 1980s a Quantitative Overview.- The Institutional Structure of the German Financial System.- Germany's Integration into International and European Financial Markets.- Regulation of the German Financial System.- The Nature and Degree of Competition.- Profitability of the Financial Sector and Sub-Sectors.- Efficiency of the Financial Sector.- Sources of Funds for Business Investments: Non-Financial Corporate Sector and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs).- The Involvement of the Financial Sector in the Restructuring of the Economy.- Privatisation and Nationalisation Policies and the Financial Sector.- The Financial Sector and Private Households.- The Real Estate Sector and its Relation to the Financial Sector.- Financialization and Income Distribution.- Crisis and Macroeconomic Policies.- Final Conclusions.