In this paper we propose an interpretation of the current Global Financial Crisis which emphasizes sectoral dislocation following localized technical change in the presence of barriers to labor mobility. This tale is reminiscent of a similar tale concerning the Great Depression. In the 30s...

We explore the dynamics of default cascades in a network of credit interlink-ages in which each agent is at the same time a borrower and a lender. When some counterparties of an agent default, the loss she experiences amounts to her total exposure to those counterparties. A possible conjecture...

The recent financial crisis poses the challenge to understand how systemic risk arises endogenously and what architecture can make the financial system more resilient to global crises. This paper shows that a financial network can be most resilient for intermediate levels of risk...

Policymakers and economists largely agree that 'rule of law' and property rights are essential for a sound economic policy, particularly for most developing countries. But it is becoming increasingly apparent that transplanting legal frameworks from one society to another doesn't work - even...

We show that aggregate investment is generally higher under the party that sets higher tax rates, since private firms pay out lower dividends and carry more working capital, leading to higher investment. Furthermore, both parties bias their tax rates upwards (beyond the rates that they would set...

This is the second of six volumes in a series of selected scientific papers by one of the world's most distinguished economists. Volume I presented the basic concepts in the Economics of Information, showing that markets in which information was imperfect or asymmetric (where some individuals...