Dutch Banking Culture Six Years after the Fall of ABN AMRO Bank

Abstract

This article presents the results of a survey among more than six hundred bankers in the Netherlands about banking culture. It addresses the question why trust in banks remains so low (45% of clients trust banks in the Netherlands). The key findings indicate that the problem is not so much immoral bankers or a few rotten apples but rather the dominance of a competitive banking culture. The findings suggest that clients’ trust may be regained when banks leave behind their focus on performance targets, financial incentives, and behavioral regulation and move instead to a caring culture with a focus on relationships and open discussion of ethical dilemma’s.

Key words: Banking culture, The Netherlands, Trust, Ethics, Performance targets.
JEL: G21, Z1.

Iako slične strukturalne karakteristike koje smanjuju pojavu i učestalost asimetričnih šokova predstavljaju ključni uslov za stvaranje monetarne unije, u slučaju Evrozone, u većini studija, ako ne i svim, naglašava se postojanje značajne divergencije u makroekonomskim performansama i u strukturalnim elementima zemalja Evrozone. Rad ima za cilj da analizira da li je ekonomska i finansijska kriza koja pogađa Evrozonu od 2008. godine imala uticaja na koherentnost Evrozone, odnosno, da li nakon 2008. godine razlike u makroekonomskim performansama zemalja Evrozone opadaju (konvergencija) ili se povećavaju (divergencija).

Ključne reči: Ekonomska kriza, Evrozona, konvergencija, sigma-konvergencija.