Laura Deruytter of the Cosmopolis Centre for Urban Research in the Department of Geography at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has won the Global Network on Financial Geography’s FinGeo Doctoral Dissertation Prize. Her research into the origin and evolution of the funding of intercommunal associations over the past 100 years has generated international interest. 

Cover page of the dissertation © Laura Deruytter
Cover page of the dissertation © Laura Deruytter

"My research was picked up because it focuses on the role of local government in the funding process," says Deruytter. "In the UK and the US, people often forget this role of the government. In recent decades, the impact of financial parties such as banks and pension funds on our daily lives, including through investment in infrastructure and housing, has become greater. Just like in other countries, budgetary pressures and market-oriented reforms are changing financial relations between Flemish municipalities and their infrastructure companies."

However, this financialization has not simply taken over the management and ownership of intercommunal associations in Flanders. ...

account creation

TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT

And extend your reading, free of charge and with no commitment.