Curriculum Vitae 
Current Academic Position
Member of Graduate Programs
Areas of Research
Representative Publications
Teaching
Service Contributions
Selected Executive Positions
HONOURS AND DISTINCTIONS
University Professor, 2010
Canadian Association of University Teachers Dedicated Service Award, 2004
York University Wide Teaching Award, 2001
Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations Teaching Award, 2000
Professor (tenured).
School of Public Policy & Administration and Department of Economics
Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies
Member of Graduate Programs in:
- Economics
- Public Policy and Law
- Social and Political Thought
- Sociology
AREAS OF RESEARCH: Macroeconomic Financial Crises; Microfinance
Taking a “critical” or “progressive” approach to economic inquiry, my scholarship most broadly
encompasses the interaction between economics, the economy, and institutions. Macroeconomic
financial crises and microfinance are the primary sites of inquiry. If the crises are failures of institutions as
socio-economic organizing devices embedded in a network of economic and social relations (re)building
community-based finance networks is necessary for regaining financial and economic stability. This
approach demands an understanding of analytical and technical concepts (monetary theories, asset
valuation), processes (defined by legal constraints and accepted practices), networks (portfolio linkages,
institutional structures) and an appreciation for cultural tensions (between capitalism and community,
between competition and cooperation).
My research uses interdisciplinary materials from economics, sociology, business and political science to
examine comparatively the history and evolution of instability in financial institutions and markets.
Published work on crises explores the similarities between and differences among crises and policies
occurring at various stages of development in capitalist economies, including the potential for instability
and effective monetary policy in the "new" and global economy, and how these factors shape and are
shaped by a gendered distribution of income and wealth. Research in microfinance (microcredit, payday
lending, community-based monetary arrangements and financial literacy) explores the potential for
securing financial stability in urban environments in Canada by strengthening the financial links with the
local economy.
"Financial Crises: Socio-economic Causes and Institutional Context" London & New York:
Routledge.2006 ISBN: 0-41536-2873
"Room to Grow: Celebrating Atkinson’s Living Legacy" Eds. Brenda Spotton Visano and Kristin Taylor,
Toronto Canada: York University, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-55014-508-3 (205pp)
“A Hybrid Multi-agent Model for Financial Markets” S. Chen, J. Tien, and B. Spotton Visano, in N.T.
Nguyen et al. (Eds.) : New Frontiers in Applied Artificial Intelligence of Lecture Notes in Computer
Science IEA/AIE 2008, LNAI 5027, pp. 531–540.
“Different and Unequal: Payday Loans and Microcredit in Canada” Journal of Economic Asymmetries
2008 Vol.5 No.1, 109-123
“Financial Manias and Panics: A Socioeconomic Perspective” American Journal of Economics and
Sociology, 2002 61(4): 801-822. Excerpted and Translated 2003. «Bulles et paniques financières : une
perspective socio-economique » in Problèmes Economiques No 2385 Mer 10 (Dec): 7-14
“Speculation”, International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences 2nd ed., 9 vols. Ed. William A. Darity Jr.
(Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008) , pp. 54-55
Courses Taught: Macroeconomics; International Economics; Money, Banking and Finance: (Financial
Instruments, Markets, and Institutions; Central Banking and Monetary Policy); International Money;
Financial Crises; Law and Economics.
Areas of Graduate Supervision: Electronic Money and Monetary Policy; Financial System Regulation;
International Finance; Labour (Gender Analyses of Employment); Institutional Economics/Economic
Sociology; Law and Economics; Culture and Economic Systems.
- Academic Advisory Board, Institute for Social Research, York University
- Steering Committee, Progressive Economics Forum
- Former President, Canadian Women Economists Network/Réseau de Femmes Économistes
- Steering Committee, Black Creek Microcredit Loan Fund
- Board of Directors, ACCESS Community Capital
University Service: Chair of the York University Senate, Chair of (Atkinson) Faculty Council; Chief
Negotiator (York University Faculty Association), Associate Dean (Atkinson).
Professional Service: Chair of the joint CWEN/RFÉ-Canadian Economics Association committee
surveying and examining the status of women economists in Canada (2001); Managing Editor Journal of
Economic Asymmetries (2006-2008).
