{"product_id":"9781442662612","title":"Hard Choices: Financial Exclusion, Fringe Banks and Poverty in Urban Canada","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhen low-income city dwellers lack access to mainstream banking services, many end up turning to ‘fringe banks,’ such as cheque-cashers and pawnshops, for some or all of their financial transactions. This predicament of ‘financial exclusion’ – faced by those underserved by conventional financial institutions – is comprehensively examined in Jerry Buckland's powerful study, \u003cem\u003eHard Choices\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe first account of the nature and causes of financial exclusion in Canada, \u003cem\u003eHard Choices\u003c\/em\u003e thoroughly integrates economic and social data on consumer choice, bank behaviour, and government policy. Buckland demonstrates why the current two-tier system of banking is becoming increasingly dysfunctional, especially in the context of new credit products that aggravate income inequality and stifle local economic growth. Featuring a foreword by esteemed economics scholar John P. Caskey, \u003cem\u003eHard Choices\u003c\/em\u003e presents pragmatic policy improvements on both the public and private levels that can promote and build financial inclusion for all.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47156793049328,"sku":"9781442662612","price":38.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781442662612_p0.jpg?v=1763815195","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781442662612","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}