The recent political standoff that shut down the US government for 16 days and came uncomfortably close to the debt ceiling extension deadline is now thankfully over — for the moment. Given the current…
The US shutdown and the fractious struggles in Congress are symptomatic of a broader trend in American politics. In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, a new political landscape has emerged…
Five years on from Lehman Brothers’ collapse and “where did it all go wrong?” analysis is all the rage. Answers have varied: poor regulation, malicious bankers, dozy politicians, greedy homeowners, and…
A bank in trouble negotiates with its regulatory authorities and other banks for support, but is refused a bail out and closes abruptly, sparking a global contraction as its obligations are left unhonoured…
The fifth anniversary of Lehman Brothers’ demise is an opportune moment to take stock and contextualise what has happened since. And one good way to do so is to compare this government’s policy response…
The overhang of debt in Europe and the US has made recovery from the global financial crisis particularly tenuous. Is there a dramatic and simple way out of all this? Some argue that there is: a “debt…
Though it rarely rates a mention in the Australian financial press, there is a spectacle in London at the moment that rivals even the most ferocious games at the Roman Colosseum. Almost every day, a bunch…
Welcome to the first of a three part series, Back to the Future, which explores the complicated reasons behind the continuing regulatory and judicial failure to regulate global financial markets. Professor…
The chairman of the Australian government’s Financial Sector Advisory Council, Paul Binsted, believes that bankers who have experienced financial crises are more cautious about taking risks. However, short…
Universities and macro-economists still haven’t found a way to solve the crisis of economics that was triggered by the global financial meltdown says economist Martin Wolf. Speaking to an audience of economics…
Justice Steven J. Rares was blunt when he handed down his judgement in the long-running class action, Wingecarribee Shire Council vs. Lehman Brothers Australia, last week. Grange Securities, a subsidiary…
At first glance, a consultation paper released by Treasury last week aimed at strengthening the crisis management powers of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, could pass for a routine tidy-up…
Welcome to the latest in our In Conversation series, between former politician and economist Dr John Hewson, Australian National University (ANU) Crawford School Director of Policy Impact Professor Bruce…
Average household incomes in Australia defied the global financial crisis to increase substantially in the 2008-09 financial year, and life satisfaction levels were unaffected by the downturn, according…
European financial woes are mounting daily is what some have called the biggest economic challenge of our generation. However, just over a decade ago an even larger financial crisis was unfolding in Australia’s…
Recessions are not the way to permanently cut greenhouse gas emissions. Global emissions surged during 2010, cancelling out the reductions from the global financial crisis (GFC). Emissions took off in…
For decades, credit ratings agencies were largely ignored by the masses, but in recent months they have continued to hit the headlines again and again. The big three (Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and…
Kevin Davis, Australian Centre for Financial Studies
Welcome to the latest in our In Conversation series, between risk analyst and author Satyajit Das and Kevin Davis, Research Director of the Australian Centre for Financial Studies. Satyajit Das is an internationally-known…
The current economic crisis has renewed interest in alternative economic ideas. Most conspicuously, Keynesianism has returned from the margins. Unfortunately, particularly in Europe, policymakers quickly…
Few countries have been left unscathed by the global financial crisis and it seems that they are all situated in the southern hemisphere. Brazil and Australia are some of them. Recently, their economies…