June 12, 2012
The Unfinished Business of the Obama Administration: Bank Reform
As the big five American banks await the downgrading of their credit ratings by Moody’s Investors Service – a downgrading that is apparently due any day now[1] – it is worth asking: after more than three years of the Obama Administration, where exactly are we on the substance of bank reform? Has it happened? […] read more »
March 26, 2012
The White House and Your House: Policy Inertia and Organizational Resistance in the On-going Crisis of American Housing
Ask any of the Republican presidential hopefuls in this long and drawn out primary season what in general is wrong with the economic policies of the Obama Administration, and they will each tell you that the economy is under-performing now because the current Administration intervenes in its workings too frequently and too heavily. They […] read more »
January 29, 2012
Republican Truth and Real Truth: GSEs and the Housing Bubble
In any wars of words in an election season, truth is often an early casualty. The war of words between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich is no exception. read more »
November 18, 2011
Banker power trumping Democratic Power: the crisis on two continents
We live in troubled and ironic times. The times are certainly troubled. The IMF’s Managing Director has recently spoken with some justification of a looming “lost decade” for the global economy read more »
May 26, 2011
Punishment or Pushback: Financial Regulation in the Midst of Recession
Nearly one American in two is currently “financially fragile” – unable, that is, to come up with $2000 dollars in 30 days to deal with an unexpected emergency.[1] That fragility presumably does not stretch out to the fortunate few employed by Goldman Sachs, collectively the recipients of the reportedly $15.4 billion set aside by […] read more »
February 13, 2011
Obama and Housing – Is Anybody Home?
You may not know it, if you watch only Washington beltway politics, but we are currently in the midst of a housing crisis of monumental proportions. read more »
February 4, 2011
Appendix 1: The Causes of the Meltdown: An Update on the Debate
(Appendix outline) THE REVAMPED CONSERVATIVE ARGUMENT A LIBERAL RESPONSE Housing Policy: Pattern and Role Fannie, Freddie and Ginnie – The role of the GSE’s Regulation or De-regulation: Which was it? Guilty Finance A FINAL NOTE ON LEVELS OF ANALYSIS (Extract) As we saw in Chapter 6, quite where you break off your explanation of the […] read more »