Bowles, Dr. Paul

Paul Bowles
Email: Phone:
250-960-6648
Website: Campus:
  • Prince George

Research and Expertise

Globalization and regionalization
Development theory and practice
China's political economy

Financial institutions
History of economic thought

I am currently working on a number of research projects. The first concerns how China manages its currency, the renminbi. The exchange rate regime has become a little more flexible but the reasons why China persists with this regime have perplexed scholars. In this project, with Baotai Wang and Greg Chin, we adopt a political approach to examine China's policies. We are also looking into the future and considering the implications of our analysis for renmibi internationalization and the future of the present US dollar dominated international monetary system. The second, also funded by SSHRC, examines how northern BC is globalizing. The region has long been integrated into world markets but, in the current period, this is marked by a greater role for Asia and in the context of neoliberal domestic policy. A multidisciplinary group is examining the implications of this for governance, the economy, and First Nations. A third project is looking at the rise of fringe financial institutions, such as payday loan lenders, and analysing why individuals use them. I am also preparing a new version of my book on Capitalism.