The Social Responsibility of Credit Institutions in the EU - Die soziale Verantwortung von Kreditinstituten in der EU - La responsabilité sociale des Institutions Financières au sein de l'UE

According to Milton Freedman"s classical definition that the "social responsibility of private enterprise is to maximise profit" banks should not be burdened with other social responsibilities in society. But this concept is increasingly questioned. At least the social outcome as well as the lieu and the target group of banking could become an element in the financial decision making process without affecting its profitability. The book analyses the present situation in France, the United Kingdom and Germany and identifies possibilities of implementing legal, economic and social incentives for a private contribution to public welfare refering to the quite distinct structural situation of banking in these countries. Bankers who are increasingly faced with political aspirations and more collective consumer demand, politicians and social activists who think about ways of combatting impoverishment and unequal developments will find a unique summary of the given elements as well as possibilities and examples in the area of access to basic banking services, low income housing, micro lending and the financing of business start-ups.