ABSTRACT

The transition to a financialized economy has had a devastating impact on workers and consumers and exacerbated wealth and income inequality in the United States and around the world. In this article, the authors explain financialization, a two-fold economic strategy whereby individual corporations invest in the financial market- rather than make capital improvements- to earn a profit and global and domestic economies heavily invest in and depend upon financial, insurance, and real estate (FIRE) ventures. If the social work profession is to meet its obligation to promote social and economic justice, practitioners and students must understand this economic strategy and its consequences. The social work education, practice, and policy literature elaborates upon the role that practitioners can play in helping clients achieve financial literacy. This reflects a largely micro approach to the problems created and maintained by financialization. Macro interventions are required, however, since financialization is indicative of and exacerbates systemic economic inequality. Therefore, the authors identify suggested content for the generalist and foundation practice, policy, field, and continuing education curricula that identifies the knowledge and skills needed to help clients with their financial difficulties and challenges the underlying economic forces that contributed to them.

摘要

向金融化经济的转型对工人和消费者产生了毁灭性的影响，并加剧了美国和世界各地的财富和收入不平等。在这篇文章中，作者解释了金融化，这是一种双重经济战略，个体公司投资于金融市场——而不是进行资本改善——以赚取利润，全球和国内经济大量投资并依赖于金融、保险和房地产 (FIRE) 企业。如果社会工作专业要履行其促进社会和经济正义的义务，从业者和学生必须了解这种经济策略及其后果。社会工作教育、实践和政策文献详细阐述了从业者在帮助客户获得金融知识方面可以发挥的作用。这反映了对金融化产生和维持的问题采取的主要微观方法。然而，需要宏观干预，因为金融化表明并加剧了系统性经济不平等。因此，作者确定了通才和基础实践、政策、领域和继续教育课程的建议内容，这些课程确定了帮助客户解决财务困难和挑战促成这些困难的潜在经济力量所需的知识和技能。