States and the Masters of Capital

Bruneau provides a new take on a fascinating subject, presenting a necessary and interesting glimpse into the opaque and immensely powerful world of sovereign finance and giving us a real sense of the cultural logics that pervade this rarefied sphere. -- Emily Erikson, author of <i>Trade and Nation: How Companies and Politics Reshaped Economic Thought</i> Quentin Bruneau shines a deep and penetrating light on financial institutions and the changing forms of knowledge which guide their activities. The historical mode of enquiry he adopts is a critical advance on more static conceptions of institutional agency, and is an important contribution towards understanding what is new and innovative in contemporary global finance. -- Randall Germain, author of <i>Global Politics and Financial Governance</i> Pithy, intelligent, illuminating. This exciting book reveals the changing and pivotal role played by financial actors and markets in modern state formation. -- Patricia Clavin, coeditor of <i>Internationalisms: A Twentieth-Century History</i> Bruneau has written a brilliant book about the ‘ways of knowing’ in international finance. * Survival * This book is a compelling read, and its ambition to create an interdisciplinary bridge is highly commendable. It undoubtedly contributes insights for gaining an interesting perspective on some of the foundational aspects of sovereign lending. * H-Diplo *