The authors study banking using the tools of mechanism design, without a priori assumptions about what banks are, who they are, or what they do. Given preferences, technologies, and certain frictions - including limited commitment and imperfect monitoring - they describe the set of incentive...

The financial crisis renewed the debate on the bailout of financial institutions, questioning the effectiveness of such an intervention in restoring normal economic conditions. This paper analyzes the effect of State aids to distressed banks on the real economy, using a panel approach that...