Since the summer of 2007, credit markets in almost all industrial countries have been in substantial turmoil and this has become the focus of intense policy debates. The papers in this volume are contributed by the world's leading financial experts and constitute a thorough examination of the first credit market turmoil of the 21st Century. They provide an overview of the main causes, transmission mechanisms and economic implications of what by now has become a major systemic financial crisis. They assess the most important policy considerations and conclude about how to stabilize financial systems, attenuate repercussions on the real economy and shape future regulatory structures. The analyses, conclusions, and recommendations can be expected to influence both public and private policies to mitigate, if not prevent, such crises in the future.

Were the radical steps taken by the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve to avert the financial crisis legal? When and why did political elites and the general public question the legitimacy of the government's responses to the crisis? In To The Edge: Legality, Legitimacy, and the Responses to the 2008 Financial Crisis, Philip Wallach chronicles and examines the legal and political controversies surrounding the government's responses to the recent financial crisis. The economic devastation left behind is well-known, but some allege that even more lasting harm was inflicted on America's rule of law tradition and government legitimacy by the ambitious attempts to limit the fallout. In probing these claims, Wallach offers a searching inquiry into the meaning of the rule of law during crises. The book provides a detailed analysis of the policies undertaken—from the rescue of Bear Stearns in March 2008 through the tumultuous events of September 2008, the passage of the TARP and its broad usage, the alphabet soup of emergency Federal Reserve programs, the bankruptcies of Chrysler and GM, and the extended public ownership of AIG, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac. Throughout, Wallach probes the legal bases of the government's actions and explores why concerns about the legitimacy of government actions were only sporadically grounded in concerns about legality—and sometimes ran directly against them. The public's sense that government officials operated through ad hoc responses that favored powerful interests has helped bring the legitimacy of American governmental institutions to historic lows. Wallach's book recommends constructive and sensible reforms policymakers should take to ensure accountability and legitimacy before the government faces another crisis.

This book offers commentary and analysis on the catastrophic events which have recently confronted the international economy in the modern era and contrasts the current situation with other financial crises. It includes case studies on Lehman Brothers in the US, Babcock & Brown in Australia, and Northern Rock in the UK. Asking many pertinent questions about the causes of the crisis and its effects, the book explores fundamental themes such as: asset bubbles and speculation in the financial and non-financial markets, systemic risks and the role of regulation, and regulators. It also reviews the response of international institutions such as the IMF, the World Bank, the US Federal Reserve, the EU Central Bank and the G20. The book assesses the triggers of the crisis and evaluates rescue packages and policy responses as well as suggesting reform of regulatory and supervisory frameworks to maintain banking and modern financial systems in the future.

"The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, HR 1 in the 111th Congress, will assist in supplemental appropriations for job preservation and creation, give financial help to the unemployed, and will provide State and local fiscal stabilization, for fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes." The purposes of The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 include the following: (1) To preserve and create jobs and promote economic recovery. (2) To assist those most impacted by the recession. (3) To provide investments needed to increase economic efficiency by spurring technological advances in science and health. (4) To invest in transportation, environmental protection, and other infrastructure that will provide long-term economic benefits. (5) To stabilize State and local government budgets, in order to minimize and avoid reductions in essential services and counterproductive state and local tax increases. http://www.thecapitol.net/Publications/GovernmentSeries/1497_EconomicPolicyCrisisandtheStimulus.html