Quality. Independence. Impact.

Home | Contact Us | Media Resources

Friday November 20, 2009

Welcome   |   Register   |   Log in

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioReviewing the Administration’s Financial Reform Proposals

Douglas J. Elliott, June 17, 2009, The Brookings Institution

President Obama’s financial reform proposals are all sensible, necessary reforms. Unfortunately, some bolder steps have been left out due to the expectation of intense opposition from entrenched interests, says Douglas Elliott. He analyzes the administration’s plan, including parts that he believes did not go far enough. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioThe U.S. Financial and Economic Crisis: Where Does It Stand and Where Do We Go From Here?

Martin Neil Baily and Douglas J. Elliott, June 15, 2009, The Brookings Institution

The U.S. Financial and Economic Crisis: Where Does It Stand and Where Do We Go From Here?The economy is showing signs that it is likely bottoming out and heading toward a weak recovery, but we need to keep our optimism—and our policy actions—in check, argue Martin Baily and Douglas Elliott. Many risks remain for both the banking system and the larger economy, and they argue for increased focus on existing financial rescue plans and the banking sector. Read More

VIDEO

Save to My PortfolioEvaluating the Economy and the Possibility of a "Double Dip" Recession

Robert E. Litan, November 19, 2009

The economy is showing some bright spots, but rising unemployment, weak consumer spending and the housing market continue to be concerns. Robert Litan examines the state of the economy and offers insights into job creation and entrepreneurship, the possibility of a “double dip” recession and higher capital requirements for lending institutions.

VIDEO

Save to My PortfolioFixing the Financial Sector in the Wake of the Economic Crisis

Douglas J. Elliott, November 12, 2009

Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn) has introduced legislation to reform the financial sector in the wake of the recent economic crisis. Senator Dodd’s proposal calls for consolidating the four federal financial regulatory agencies into a single regulator. Fellow Douglas Elliott says regulation consolidation is definitely in order.

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioDodd’s Single Banking Regulator Proposal Promising

Douglas J. Elliott, November 10, 2009, The Brookings Institution

Dodd’s Single Banking Regulator Proposal PromisingSenate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd is introducing legislation to consolidate banking regulation into one federal agency. Doug Elliott says having one regulator for “safety and soundness” and another focused on consumer protection is promising, should help avoid regulatory arbitrage and could hopefully prevent another financial crisis. Read More

VIDEO

Save to My PortfolioThe Stock Market Crash and Our Current Recession

Alice M. Rivlin, October 28, 2009

This month marks 80 years since the Wall Street crash of 1929 that was one cause of the Great Depression. Alice Rivlin says the 1929 crash led to the creation of the financial and social safety net measures that have helped prevent today's economic crisis from being a full-blown depression.

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioInitial Comments on the Draft House Bill on Systemic Risk and “Too Big to Fail”

Douglas J. Elliott, October 28, 2009, The Brookings Institution

As the financial system continues to stabilize, the House Financial Services Committee has drafted legislation intended to prevent future crises. The latest bill, which has been endorsed by the Obama administration, focuses on systemic risk and financial institutions that are deemed to be “too big to fail.” Douglas Elliott analyzes the 253-page bill, saying he thinks the enhanced resolution authority is essential, but he raises serious concerns about the structure of the council intended to tackle systemic risks. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioPay Limits: Not Smart

Douglas J. Elliott, October 23, 2009, The Brookings Institution

Pay Limits: Not SmartThe Obama administration’s pay czar imposed limits on executive compensation for bailed-out Wall Street firms. Doug Elliott says the actions are not smart, sending the message to those employees that their pay will not be determined the same way as on the rest of Wall Street and will be considerably lower and more volatile. This risks losing the best people, since the ones that move are always those who have the best options elsewhere. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioStock Market Crash, 80 Years Later

William A. Galston, October 23, 2009, The Brookings Institution

Stock Market Crash, 80 Years LaterThe “Black Tuesday” stock market crash of 1929 still haunts us on its 80th anniversary this Thursday. William Galston describes the actions taken over this past year to avert a second Great Depression and suggests that the flap over Wall Street bonuses signals a return to business as usual. Our political system has a duty to act against the obvious abuses, he writes. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioWhat Should be Done About Bank Size?

Martin Neil Baily, October 19, 2009, National Journal

In light of the debate over whether the Obama administration's plan for financial regulation goes far enough to curb institutions that become "too big to fail," Martin Baily addresses the question of whether any regulation of "systemic risk" will inevitably lead to the designation of some banks as "too big to fail." Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioFed Should Focus on Macro, not Micro

Martin Neil Baily, October 19, 2009, Politico

Amid White House efforts to revamp financial sector regulations—including creation of a new oversight agency—Martin Baily argues that the Federal Reserve should not take over this responsibility. The Fed, he says, is in a unique position to take on the macro side of prudential regulation—that of the systemic risk regulator, a responsibility that would well suit its purview of the overall stability and performance of the macro economy. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioToo Big to Fail: “Systemic Importance” and Moral Hazard

Gary Burtless, September 30, 2009, National Journal

Too Big to Fail: “Systemic Importance” and Moral HazardGary Burtless examines the events of the past eighteen months and concludes that the status quo poses great risk to the U.S. finanical system and thus the current regulatory regime cannot be left unchanged. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioStrengthening and Streamlining the Federal Supervision of Financial Institutions

Martin Neil Baily, September 29, 2009, Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs

Martin Baily testified before the Senate Banking Committee on the creation of a single micro prudential regulator, combining the regulatory and supervisory functions now carried out by the Fed, the OCC, the OTS, the SEC and the FDIC. He calls attention to the Australia model as a good positive example where a single prudential regulator has worked well. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioQuantifying the Effects on Lending of Increased Capital Requirements

Douglas J. Elliott, September 24, 2009, Pew Financial Reform Project

The proposed higher capital requirements for U.S. banks being discussed at the G-20 meeting as part of the financial sector reforms is likely to have a relatively modest impact on bank lending, according to Douglas Elliott. Tougher capital requirements can powerfully aid the stability of the system without doing excessive damage to lending or the economy, he says. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioWhat Does International Experience Tell Us About Regulatory Consolidation?

Adriane Fresh and Martin Neil Baily, September 21, 2009, Pew Economic Policy Department

Examining the structure of financial regulation to see what lessons there may be for the United States, Martin Baily and Adriane Fresh dispel the idea that the experience of other countries makes it a waste of time to attempt substantial consolidation of regulatory agencies in the United States. Read More

In Brief

The systemic problems in financial markets and institutions have contributed to the current economic crisis in America. The Obama administration is implementing new regulatory measures to instill confidence in the finance and banking industries for the short term and to prevent such a crisis from happening again in the future. Brookings experts have studied the issues and made recommendations.

My Portfolio

My New Content

View suggested content based on items you have saved to your Portfolio.
Log in or register now

Policy CenterEngelberg Center for Health Care Reform

The Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform provides practical solutions to achieve high-quality, innovative, affordable health care with particular emphasis on identifying opportunities on the national, state and local levels.

ProgramGovernance Studies

Governance Studies explores political institutions of the United States and other democracies to assess how they govern, how their practices compare and how citizens and public servants can advance sound governance.

ExpertMwangi S. Kimenyi

Mwangi S. Kimenyi is a senior fellow with the Africa Growth Initiative. He focuses on Africa's development, including institutions for economic growth, the political economy, and private sector development.

ExpertSuzanne Maloney

Suzanne Maloney studies Iran, the political economy of the Persian Gulf and Middle East energy policy. A former U.S. State Department policy advisor, she has also counseled private companies on Middle East issues.

TopicEducation

The economic and political well-being of any society requires a well-educated citizenry. Brookings’s work extends beyond the K-12 bookends to include pre-school interventions, higher education and the challenges of education in developing countries.

Research ProjectLatin America Initiative

The Latin America Initiative provides high-quality, in-depth, and independent research across a range of economic and political issues, and offers policy recommendations aimed at U.S. and Latin American policymakers.

ExpertIsabel V. Sawhill

A nationally known budget expert, Isabel Sawhill focuses on domestic poverty and federal fiscal policy. She is also co-director of the Center on Children and Families at Brookings.

ExpertAmy Liu

Amy Liu is deputy director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program. Her policy studies include economic competitiveness, metropolitan growth and development, governance reforms, urban reinvestment, and social equity.

TopicHealth Care

Brookings is committed to producing innovative policy solutions to our nation’s most difficult challenges. The country may face no more important domestic policy challenge than the much-needed reform of our health care system. Through an institution-wide effort, Brookings delivers new ideas and offers policy solutions to improve health care both at home and globally.

ExpertDomenico Lombardi

As president of the Oxford Institute for Economic Policy, Domenico Lombardi’s work at Brookings focuses on the international financial crisis and the reform of the IMF and the World Bank. He is an expert on G-20 and G8 Summits.

ExpertFederiga Bindi

Federiga Bindi is a leading expert on European political integration. She has a broad experience in government and held a number of posts in international organizations. Bindi currently serves as an advisor to the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Her research focuses on the EU, transatlantic relations; EU states foreign policies, global governance issues.

ExpertMark McClellan

Mark McClellan works on promoting high-quality, innovative and affordable health care. Once commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Dr. McClellan now directs the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform.

Policy CenterCenter on Children and Families

The Center on Children and Families studies policies on the well-being of America's children and their parents and seeks a more effective means of addressing poverty, inequality and lack of opportunity in the United States.

Research ProjectBrookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement

The Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement monitors displacement problems worldwide, works with governments, regional bodies, international organizations and civil society to create more effective policies and institutional arrangements for Internally Displaed Persons.

ExpertTed Gayer

Ted Gayer is the co-director of the Economic Studies program and the Joseph A. Pechman Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He conducts research on a variety of economic issues, focusing particularly on public finance, environmental and energy economics, housing, and regulatory policy.

ExpertVanda Felbab-Brown

Vanda Felbab-Brown focuses on the national security implications of illicit economies and strategies for managing them. She is an adjunct professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.