Finance and Growth:
The Roles of Financial Development, Institutions, and Shareholder Primacy
Time: 12.-14.8.2026
Place: Aalto University School of Business, Otaniemi, Espoo
Registrations: The deadline for registrations is August 2, 2026. See registration/application details at the bottom of the page.
Teaching: Professor David McLean (Georgetown University)
NFN Travel Grant: NFN offers Travel Grants for attending PhD students in finance coming from Nordic institutions outside of Finland. To apply for the Travel Grant, please use the below form and send it to nfn (at) aalto.fi.
Lectures: 12 h of lectures (12 x 45 minutes)
| DAY | DATE | TIME | PLACE (Otaniemi Campus Map) |
| Wednesday | 12.8.2026 | 13:00 – 15 & 16:00 – 18 | V001, Ekonominaukio 1 |
| Thursday | 13.8.2026 | 10:00 – 12 & 13:00 – 15 | V001, Ekonominaukio 1 |
| Friday | 14.8.2026 | 10:00 – 12 & 13:00 – 15 | V001, Ekonominaukio 1 |
Course objective: This course explores the links between finance, law, and economic growth. We begin by asking whether finance causes economic growth, and then turn to the law and finance literature on how legal institutions shape financial development. Finally, we examine shareholder capitalism—the idea that firms should maximize shareholder value—and its implications for investment, innovation, and the broader economy, connecting it back to both the finance-growth and law-and-finance literatures.
Syllabus: TBA
Access to the articles is subject to your home institutions’ subsciptions to the databases. Hard copies of all readings are available for consultation at GSF office (Ekonominaukio 1, room T317)
Lecture notes: TBA
The password for opening the files will be sent to the students.
Credit units: 3 ECTS cr.
List of participants: TBA
Participants: Doctoral students in finance. The course is also open for KATAJA as well as FDPE and Helsinki GSE students with sufficient background in finance and/or economics. The course is also open for foreign doctoral students given that there is space in the course.
Examinations
Grading: TBA
Registration/Application
- Doctoral students of GSF, FDPE and Helsinki GSE: Please register through this link.
- Doctoral students in related fields and doctoral students at foreign universities: Application form can be found below (both in PDF and Word format). In addition to the application form, please also send a report on the status of your doctoral studies, and a brief CV. Please also ask your thesis advisor to send us a short letter of recommendation by-email. All the required documents should be sent by e-mail to gsf@aalto.fi. All applicants will be informed of their acceptance soon after the registration deadline.