Anglo-Saxon governance: Similarities, difference and outcomes in a financialised world

The increasing pervasiveness of financial markets across the global economy has been identified in the literature with the spread of ‘Anglo-Saxon capitalism’, reflecting the notion that a common US–UK model of governance and managerial attitudes is becoming increasingly common worldwide. This paper questions the existence of a common US–UK model by exploring how the concept of ‘Anglo-Saxon capitalism’ emerged and by highlighting the institutional differences in governance and managerial routines between the two countries. As the collapses of Lehman Brothers and Royal Bank of Scotland show, common outcomes, driven by international, financialised markets and actors, may mask important differences in managerial routines and attitudes towards risk.

► Financialisation has been associated with the spread of Anglo-Saxon capitalism.
► The US and UK have very different systems of corporate governance.
► American managers have greater agency than their British counterparts.
► These systems facilitate different approaches to managerial risk.