1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910462377303321

Autore

McCarty Nolan M

Titolo

Political bubbles [[electronic resource] ] : financial crises and the failure of American democracy / / Nolan McCarty, Keith T. Poole, Howard Rosenthal

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Princeton, : Princeton University Press, c2013

ISBN

1-4008-4639-0

Edizione

[Course Book]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (369 p.)

Altri autori (Persone)

PooleKeith T

RosenthalHoward <1939->

Disciplina

330.973/0931

Soggetti

Financial crises - United States - History - 21st century

Global Financial Crisis, 2008-2009 - Political aspects

Electronic books.

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Part I: The Political Bubble. Why Washington Allows Financial Crises to Occur -- Chapter 1. Bubble Expectations -- Chapter 2. Ideology -- Chapter 3. Interests -- Chapter 4. Institutions -- Chapter 5. The Political Bubble of the Crisis of 2008 -- Part II. Pops. Why Washington Delays in Solving Financial Crises -- Chapter 6. Historical Lessons of the Responses to Pops -- Chapter 7. The Pop of 2008 -- Chapter 8. "Populism -- Chapter 9 . How to Waste a Crisis -- Epilogue -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Name Index -- Subject Index

Sommario/riassunto

Behind every financial crisis lurks a "political bubble"--policy biases that foster market behaviors leading to financial instability. Rather than tilting against risky behavior, political bubbles--arising from a potent combination of beliefs, institutions, and interests--aid, abet, and amplify risk. Demonstrating how political bubbles helped create the real estate-generated financial bubble and the 2008 financial crisis, this book argues that similar government oversights in the aftermath of the crisis undermined Washington's response to the "popped" financial bubble, and shows how such patterns have occurred repeatedly throughout US history. The authors show that just as financial bubbles



are an unfortunate mix of mistaken beliefs, market imperfections, and greed, political bubbles are the product of rigid ideologies, unresponsive and ineffective government institutions, and special interests. Financial market innovations--including adjustable-rate mortgages, mortgage-backed securities, and credit default swaps--become subject to legislated leniency and regulatory failure, increasing hazardous practices. The authors shed important light on the politics that blinds regulators to the economic weaknesses that create the conditions for economic bubbles and recommend simple, focused rules that should help avoid such crises in the future. The first full accounting of how politics produces financial ruptures, Political Bubbles offers timely lessons that all sectors would do well to heed.