Dollar Dominance: Why It Rules the Global Economy and How to Challenge It

In a world shaken by crises, why does the dollar continue to dominate? In this book, Photis Lysandrou explores the interaction between global instability and the enduring strength of the dollar. Drawing on examples from the 2008 Great Financial Crisis to the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the author reveals how uncertainty and instability in global trade, production and politics drives investors towards the safety of the dollar, reinforcing its dominance over other currencies.

With clear and insightful analysis, Lysandrou reveals the true global financial foundations of dollar dominance, and lays out what it would take for other currencies such as the Euro to challenge its position.

Photis Lysandrou is Research Professor in Global Political Economy at the City Political Economy Research Centre (CITYPERC) at City, University of London. His current research interests are in the areas of financialisation, shadow banking and the economics of inequality.