‘Taking the floor’ by D. Beunza

Daniel Beunza

Modelling and governing finance are not two separate things. This is one of the main lessons that the sociology and the nascent philosophy of finance have taught us.

The powerful interrelation between the models, the behavior, and the organization of financial markets is the focus of Daniel Beunza’s book Taking the Floor: Models, Morals, and Management in a Wall Street Trading Room (Princeton University Press). Beunza explores how the extensive use of financial modelling and trading technologies over the last few decades has changed and influenced ‘Wall Street’. In his book, he examines how models have reshaped financial markets and changed moral behavior in organizations, creating both opportunities and dangers. To do this, he takes us to the pulsating center of the financial markets—the floor of a trading firm.

This meeting of the Phinance Online Seminars will discuss Daniel’s book with contributions from Donald MacKenzie (Edinburgh), Katherine K. Chen (CUNY), José Ossandón (Copenhagen Business School), Michael Barzelay (LSE), and Daniel himself, which will be followed by an open debate.


17:00 CET, 13 October 2021

Program

17:00 
Welcome

Daniel Beunza
City University of London


17:20
Discussants

Donald MacKenzie
University of Edinburgh
Katherine K. Chen
The City College of New York and Graduate Center, CUNY
José Ossandón
Copenhagen Business School
Michael Barzelay
London School of Economics


18:10 
Debate


Chair Emiliano Ippoliti, Sapienza University of Rome


Phinance Online Seminars are organized by Phinance, a Philosophy & Finance Network