Finance and economic and social reproduction: prospects for financialised futures in Portugal

Abstract

Portugal is a semi-peripheral country within the EU that has partially followed similar processes as those of most financialised core countries, and that has been particularly hard-hit by the GFC. This paper reflects on the factors that have shaped economic and social reproduction in Portugal, drawing on previous research examining the involvement of households with finance and the systems of provision for housing, pensions and water conducted for WP5 and WP8 of FESSUD. Based on the Portuguese case studies, the paper discusses the constraints on, and pressures for, continued expansion of finance that have become most evident in the aftermath of the GFC.