David Clark 
The Global Financial Crisis and Austerity 
A Basic Introduction

Given the huge impact of the 2008 financial crash and post-crash austerity on so many people’s lives, there is a need for a concise, accessible guide to its causes and its longer-term significance. Written by an expert in political science and straddling finance, economics and political science, this entry-level summary demystifies global finance and puts the financial crisis in its historical context. It also outlines the policy responses of Western governments to the crash and the ensuing recession and turn to austerity. Supplemented by an appendix with an A-Z glossary of key terms, processes and institutions, the book concludes by asking if the crisis is really over and outlines possible future scenarios, making it an impressive overview for anyone with little or no previous knowledge of the subject.

About the author

Now retired, David Clark was formerly head of social, community and political studies at Southampton Solent University. He taught public policy and management in a number of UK universities before working on a consultancy basis for several years, undertaking assignments in the fields of urban and rural regeneration, public health, and housing and land use planning. He has written widely on themes relating to administrative justice, urban and rural regeneration and public service reform in the UK, France and Canada, most recently in association with the Québec National School of Public Administration.