Detecting the function of finance through history.

Abstract

This special review article profiles the work of Joost Jonker, who retires from his chair at the University of Amsterdam in 2021. We situate Joost’s work in the international literature on the financing of governments, businesses and households, showing how his contributions to the field of financial history mirror wider trends. We focus on Joost’s preferred methodology (the analytic narrative) and his preferred theory (the functional perspective). We conclude with a discussion of possible future developments in the field of financial history. Our intention is for this article to become a useful resource for new scholars entering the field of financial history, particularly on topics relating to the Low Countries.

Keywords

• Financial history