Introduction to the special section ‘Financialization in South Africa’

Abstract

This special section focuses on South Africa as a developing country with considerable experience of financialization over a long period of time. The three pieces offered here further the current debate, covering specific topics (e.g. corporate cash holdings) and analytical innovations (e.g. discussing financialization in global value chains). Each illustrates that there are good reasons to presume that financialization has destructive potential when unfolding in emerging and developing regions, as is acknowledged in the Global North.