Heterodox Analysis Of Financial Crisis And Reform

The editors of this book have put together a compelling compendium of explanations and consequences of the global financial crisis. The essays are fairly homogeneous despite their apparent diversity, all providing a useful historical background. There is an obvious Institutionalist twist, with authors examining the changes in organizations and regulations that have accompanied the move towards financialization and money-manager capitalism. This analysis is often informed by the work of Hyman Minsky, pointing towards the inherent destabilizing forces of competition, as well as the dangers of deregulation, self-regulation, securitization, excess leverage, global imbalances, and the illusion of liquidity-enhancing and risk-reducing financial innovations. Marc Lavoie, University of Ottawa, Canada This valuable collection offers a stimulating range of heterodox views on the global financial crisis and proposals for reform of the financial system, nationally and internationally. The perspective of the authors is broadly Post Keynesian, sometimes with a radical or an institutionalist twist. Vigorously argued, clearly presented and largely non-technical, these essays provide a great deal of food for thought. John King, La Trobe University, Australia Though the worst of the financial crisis of 2008 has, with hope, ebbed, it has forever changed the economy in the United States and throughout the rest of the world. Using the financial and economic crisis as a catalyst, this volume examines how to better regulate the financial system and what to expect in the future if no steps are made toward reform. This book lays the foundation for those steps by providing concrete ideas that will push policy in the direction of jobs growth and widespread prosperity. Paired with a history of financial market problems, Heterodox Analysis of Financial Crisis and Reform analyzes complacency regarding the state of the economy, its lack of jobs, growing income disparity, poverty and the consequences of the false but widely shared belief that the economy is self-regulating. This book suggests ways to account for the inherent instability of financial markets and how to make asset values less precarious. Examining both the macro and micro sides of financial instability, the authors argue that existing rules and regulations are either not applied or that they are not effective enough to prevent market fluctuations of the magnitude experienced in 2008. This volume also sheds new light on just how inextricably linked success on Wall Street and welfare on Main Street have become. Students and scholars of heterodox economics, historians, political scientists, policymakers and all those with an interest in an economic renaissance will find this thought-provoking analysis of significant interest.

What is the relationship between the financial system and politics? In a democratic system, what kind of control should elected governments have over the financial markets? What policies should be implemented to regulate them? What is the role played by different elites - financial, technocratic, and political - in the operation and regulation of the financial system? And what role should citizens, investors, and savers play? These are some of the questions addressed in this challenging analysis of the particular features of the contemporary capitalist economy in Britain, the USA, and Western Europe. The authors argue that the causes of the financial crisis lay in the bricolage and innovation in financial markets, resulting in long chains and circuits of transactions and instruments that enabled bankers to earn fees, but which did not sufficiently take into account system risk, uncertainty, and unintended consequences. In the wake of the crisis, the authors argue that social scientists, governments, and citizens need to re-engage with the political dimensions of financial markets. This book offers a controversial and accessible exploration of the disorders of our financial capitalism and its justifications. With an innovative emphasis on the economically 'undisclosed' and the political 'mystifying', it combines technical understanding of finance, cultural analysis, and al political account of interests and institutions.

This book explores the foundations of the current economic crisis. Offering a heterodox approach to interpretation it examines the policies implemented before and during the crisis, and the main institutions that shaped the model of advanced economies, particularly in the last two decades. The first part of the book provides a theoretical analysis of the crisis. The roots of the ‘great recession’ are divided into fundamentals with origins in financial liberalisation, financial innovation and income distribution, and complementary or contributory factors such as the international imbalances, the monetary policy,and the role of credit rating agencies. Part II suggests various paths to recovery while emphasising that it will be necessary to develop alternative strategies for sustainable economic recovery and growth. These strategies will require genuine political support and a new 'great European vision' to address major issues concerning the EU such as unemployment, structural regional differences and federalism. Drawing on various schools of thought, this book explains the complexities of the crisis through a wider evolutionary-institutional and heterodox framework.

n the aftermath of the financial crisis, why has the reform process been incremental yet the conditions for more rapid and abrupt transformations appeared to be available? Is there anything specific about financial policy that prevents more radical reforms? Drawing from Comparative Politics and Historical Institutionalism in particular, as well as International Political Economy, this book answers these questions by examining the particular institutional frictions that characterise global financial governance and influence the activity of change agents and veto players involved in the process of global regulatory change. The chapters in this volume collectively demonstrate that the process of change in financial rule-making as well as in the institutions governing finance does not fit with the punctuated model of policy change. The book also shows, however, that incremental changes can lead to fundamental shifts in the basic principles that inform global financial governance.

This book is a collection of papers that provides deeper insight into the financial crises of the 1990's in Asia and Latin America and explores the possibilities for their solution.

Our financial crisis: what happened, how we got here, and what needs to be done Henry Kaufman-an esteemed economist and statesman-is one of the most preeminent financial figures of the day, with a history of success from the 1980s, when his firm, Salomon Brothers, ruled the bond markets. In The Road to Financial Reformation, Dr. Kaufman, who has spent a lifetime entrenched in the world of finance, provides an insightful account of the history and impact of post-World War II financial markets on the economy-what happened, how we got to where we are today, and what needs to be done. Drawing on his vast breadth of knowledge and experience, Kaufman reveals the mistakes that got us into this debacle, the consequences-as they have not been fully realized-and how to put our derailed economy back on track. This book details Dr. Kaufman's warnings and concerns expressed repeatedly throughout the last quarter century, and shows that what he predicted came to pass. Provides an insightful account of the history and impact of post-World War II financial markets on the economy Explores the erosion of credit ratings on corporate debt in the late 1980s and the rapid increase in financial concentration of institutions Discusses the blinding faith in models that rely on historical data but fail to take into account economic and financial market structural changes With his breadth of knowledge and experience, Kaufman details that this crisis was foreseeable (he saw it coming), and how we created this history-making financial crisis. He also explains the consequences still to come, and presents solutions on how we can recover and reform the markets.

Many books have explored the causes of the global financial crisis, but relatively few its consequences. The book brings together leading authors from the UK and the US to discuss both how particular countries have responded in different ways to the crisis, and also examine attempts to reform global economic governance and financial regulation.

Some economic events are so major and unsettling that they “change everything.” Such is the case with the financial crisis that started in the summer of 2007 and is still a drag on the world economy. Yet enough time has now elapsed for economists to consider questions that run deeper than the usual focus on the immediate causes and consequences of the crisis. How have these stunning events changed our thinking about the role of the financial system in the economy, about the costs and benefits of financial innovation, about the efficiency of financial markets, and about the role the government should play in regulating finance? In Rethinking the Financial Crisis, some of the nation’s most renowned economists share their assessments of particular aspects of the crisis and reconsider the way we think about the financial system and its role in the economy. In its wide-ranging inquiry into the financial crash, Rethinking the Financial Crisis marshals an impressive collection of rigorous and yet empirically-relevant research that, in some respects, upsets the conventional wisdom about the crisis and also opens up new areas for exploration. Two separate chapters–by Burton G. Malkiel and by Hersh Shefrin and Meir Statman – debate whether the facts of the financial crisis upend the efficient market hypothesis and require a more behavioral account of financial market performance. To build a better bridge between the study of finance and the “real” economy of production and employment, Simon Gilchrist and Egan Zakrasjek take an innovative measure of financial stress and embed it in a model of the U.S. economy to assess how disruptions in financial markets affect economic activity—and how the Federal Reserve might do monetary policy better. The volume also examines the crucial role of financial innovation in the evolution of the pre-crash financial system. Thomas Philippon documents the huge increase in the size of the financial services industry relative to real GDP, and also the increasing cost per financial transaction. He suggests that the finance industry of 1900 was just as able to produce loans, bonds, and stocks as its modern counterpart—and it did so more cheaply. Robert Jarrow looks in detail at some of the major types of exotic securities developed by financial engineers, such as collateralized debt obligations and credit-default swaps, reaching judgments on which make the real economy more efficient and which do not. The volume’s final section turns explicitly to regulatory matters. Robert Litan discusses the political economy of financial regulation before and after the crisis. He reviews the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, which he considers an imperfect but useful response to a major breakdown in market and regulatory discipline. At a time when the financial sector continues to be a source of considerable controversy, Rethinking the Financial Crisis addresses important questions about the complex workings of American finance and shows how the study of economics needs to change to deepen our understanding of the indispensable but risky role that the financial system plays in modern economies.

ÔThis book advances the re-unification of the Institutionalist and Keynesian traditions, now unstoppable, which when last combined eighty years ago proved the power of progressive and pragmatic thought. Let the spirit of Keynes and Commons inspire our new era Ð and perhaps this time a coherent, enduring and useful academic economics may also result.Õ Ð James K. Galbraith, President, Association for Evolutionary Economics (2012) ÔFinancial Instability and Economic Security after the Great Recession is a welcomed volume for a variety of reasons. The book does a good job of: 1) surveying the foundations of Post-Keynesian Institutionalism (PKI); 2) unfolding new ways of understanding and appreciating the economic and institutional insights of Hyman Minsky (which are many); and 3) providing new economic analysis into the recent financial crisis both in the United States and globally. . . How uncertainty affects institutions and individual behavior is something that needs more exploration, and this volume contributes to a much-needed discussion on how both institutionalists and Post-Keynesians can work together on this. . . a very interesting and stimulating book that provides some new insights in the development of both Institutionalist and Post-Keynesian thought.Õ Ð Heterodox Economics Newsletter ÔThis important and fascinating book confirms that policymakers would do well to brush up on their reading of Hyman Minsky as they wrestle with the ongoing effects of the global financial crisis. It makes a compelling case for understanding the current situation as a crisis of capitalism Ð a system that veers between stability and instability Ð and for managing and regulating economies on the basis of MinskyÕs insight that stability breeds instability. MinskyÕs insight was psychological, not merely economic, and this volume furthers the argument for including disciplines such as psychology and philosophy in understanding markets. It also helps us recognize the truth that, in the end, economies are human constructs and it will require strong doses of humanism to successfully manage our economic future.Õ Ð Michael E. Lewitt, Harch Capital Management and author of The Death of Capital: How Creative Policy Can Restore Stability ÔThe volume offers an intriguing economic frame that vastly broadens the possibilities for economic research and shifts the focus of economists from markets to people. . . This volume makes a coherent and articulate case for a new interpretation of existing economic theories with long traditions that could help inform both research and policy in the future.Õ Ð Christian Weller, Perspectives on Work ÔA failing orthodoxy calls out for powerful alternatives. Neoclassical economics is that failed orthodoxy; Whalen and his contributors are the critical alternative. In this finely orchestrated edited volume, the contributors take turns wielding a sledgehammer to demolish the weakened edifice of neoclassical theory. Then, each adds a brick to a new theoretical foundation as they work together to expand upon the Post-Keynesian Institutionalist approach, especially the ideas laid down by Hyman Minsky. Their critique is clear and the alternative theory and policies they present are critical for anyone trying to understand the nature and operation of market-based economies.Õ Ð Dorene Isenberg, University of Redlands, US ÔA convergence of Post Keynesian and Institutional economics, which have much in common, offers a sound and practical way forward after the Great Recession. By drawing inspiration from Hyman Minsky and tracing similarities in the economics of Veblen, Commons and Keynes, this book pursues such a convergence in an original and thought-provoking manner. The result is a new way of thinking about economics, one based on serious economic theory and rooted firmly in economic reality.Õ Ð Philip Arestis, University of Cambridge, UK ÔFinancial Instability and Economic Security after the Great Recession explores the close relationship between Institutional and Post Keynesian economics, thereby contributing greatly to our understanding of the recent Ð indeed, still ongoing Ð crisis in the U.S. economy and global financial markets. Together these two schools of thought provide coherent diagnoses and prescriptions that are wholly lacking in orthodox neoclassical theory. We are reminded that institutions matter, unregulated financial markets are not self-correcting, economies stall at equilibriums far below potential, and activist government is the only path to rebuilding a stable and balanced economy. This book will help greatly in the important task of rethinking economics and pointing us in the direction of reform and recovery.Õ Ð Timothy A. Canova, Chapman University School of Law, US ÔFor those who take the work of Hyman Minsky seriously, this collection of essays provides a most welcome and refreshing examination of modern economic reality. It also demonstrates just how fruitful a conjoining of Post Keynesian and Institutionalist theory can be. Whalen has chosen his authors wisely, and, taken as a whole, their contributions provide an illuminating inquiry into what Minsky called Òmoney-manager capitalismÓ. The authors continue in the Minsky tradition, complementing his theoretical work and driving it forward. I highly recommend this book to not only economists who consider themselves Post Keynesian or Institutionalist, but to all who are looking for a way out of the theoretical impasse posed by conventional economics.Õ Ð John Henry, University of Missouri-Kansas City, US ÔIn the 1930s, economic theory and policy underwent dramatic change; such a shift occurs rarely and only in times of great calamity. We are in a similar period today, and this book enlightens economic policy and contributes to change that is ongoing in the mainstream of economic thinking. Economists and policymakers alike will benefit from this book.Õ Ð Ronnie J. Phillips, Colorado State University, US ÔCharles Whalen has been the torch-bearer for Post-Keynesian Institutionalism for many years. The fruit of his thought and time is reaped in the publication of this valuable work that should be of interest to all economists, particularly those concerned with the macroeconomic workings of the real economy. While there are multiple authors, Whalen wrote or co-authored half of the chapters, giving the book coherence not usually found in a collection of essays; a first-rate book.Õ Ð Charles K. Wilber, University of Notre Dame, US ÔThe end of the Great Moderation (a period characterized by modest business cycles) and the demise of its intellectual underpinnings, such as the efficient market hypothesis, opens the door to fresh thinking about the evolution of the US and world economies. This volume responds with a compendium of insights that grow out of Post-Keynesian Institutionalism. Central constructs in the analysis Ð essential to understanding the new Great Instability and to generating constructive policy responses Ð include money-manager capitalism, financial regulation, and economic evolution. The book provides a persuasive basis for reconstructing macroeconomics and for finding sets of policies that could lead to greater world prosperity. This is an important contribution, since much of the intellectual and policy response to the current crisis has challenged the status quo very little and has not inoculated the global economy from further instability.Õ Ð Kenneth P. Jameson, University of Utah, US ÔThis book makes a major contribution toward developing an economic framework to address the policy failures that precipitated the 2007Ð2009 financial crisis and slowed recovery from the Great Recession. It begins that process with wonderfully clear analyses of the influence of earlier non-classical economic thinkers on Keynes and Minsky and then uses their insights and hypotheses to critique the economic thinking that failed to anticipate the crisis. But, unlike many other excellent analyses of recent events, it also identifies policy options capable of preventing future crises and ensuring a more rapid recovery. The authors have laid a strong foundation for the theoretical perspective required to secure the broadly shared prosperity that many view as the overriding objective of an economic system.Õ Ð Jane DÕArista, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, US ÔInstitutionalists and Post Keynesians have a great deal in common, so much so that it is surprising how little cooperation there has been between them. This innovative and engaging volume will help to put this right. Several of the contributors identify the ideas of Hyman Minsky as providing a bridge between the two traditions (in much the same way as Micha Kalecki connects Post Keynesian and Marxian thought), suggesting important ways these camps can profit from each otherÕs insights. Across the volume, the crucial concepts of ÔfuturityÕ, expectations and fundamental uncertainty shape the authorsÕ approach to economic theory, while an insistence on the need for a Ômore wisely managed capitalismÕ unites their policy discussions. This book deserves to be widely read; it will have important consequences.Õ Ð John E. King, La Trobe University, Australia This timely book rethinks economic theory and policy by addressing the problem of economic instability and the need to secure broadly shared prosperity. It stresses that advancing economics in the wake of the Great Recession requires an evolutionary standpoint, greater attention to uncertainty and expectations, and the integration of finance into macroeconomics. The result is a broader array of policy options Ð and challenges Ð than conventional economics presents. Building on the pioneering work of Thorstein Veblen, John R. Commons and John Maynard Keynes, the authors synthesize key insights from Institutional and Post Keynesian economics into Post-Keynesian Institutionalism. Then they use that framework to explore an array of economic problems confronting the United States and the world. Inspired by the work of Hyman Minsky, the authors place financial relations at the center of their analysis of how economies operate and change over time. Students and scholars of macroeconomics and public policy will find this book of interest, as will a wider audience of financial analysts, policymakers and citizens interested in understanding economic booms and downturns.

This book authoritatively considers the phenomenon of the severe economic crises of the 1970s and 1980s, as exemplified by the combination of high inflation and negative growth in Israel and Latin America. The author analyses the common characteristics of such processes and their possible cures-with a detailed first-hand account of Israeli stabilization policy, and a comparative policy-oriented analysis of Latin American reforms. Professor Bruno also calls on his experience to give a preliminary evaluation of recent stabilizations and reform attempts in several East European economies. The discussion of the theoretical underpinnings of `shock' treatments provides a good example for the blending of a number of disciplines: lessons of economic history; open economy monetary and macro theory; game-theoretic applications to the theory of economic policy design (concepts such as dynamic inconsistency, government reputation, and credibility); and the rationalization of incomes policy. The Clarendon Lectures in Economics were established in 1987. They consist of coherent sets of three or four lectures given by distinguished economists which are accessible to advanced undergraduates and also of interest to academics. Subjects vary from high theory and applications of theory to policy-oriented topics. Lecturers include Professors J.-M. Grandmont, David Kreps, Kenneth Arrow, Angus Deaton, Robert Schiller, and Oliver Hart.