Mercatus Events

Understanding the Financial Crisis II

Jan 14, 2009
12:00pm – 1:30pm
B-339 Rayburn House Office Building

Event Audio

Understanding the Financial Crisis

Featuring:

Industry Input and Regulatory Reform
Dr. Bruce Yandle
Professor Emeritus and BB&T Scholar
Clemson University

Click here to view Dr. Yandle's presentation.
Click here to view the video of this presentation.

Understanding the Effects of Bankruptcy
Todd Zywicki
Professor of Law
George Mason University

Government Ownership and Shareholders Rights
JW Verret
Assistant Professor of Law
George Mason University

Click here to view Mr. Verret's presentation.
Click here to view Mr. Verret's handout.

In part two of our successful ongoing series, the Mercatus Center's Financial Markets Working Group will present a panel of experts on various aspects of the financial crisis and its implications for policy. What does Congressional staff need to know about financial markets? How should policy be crafted in light of lessons from economics? What should regulation of the financial and banking sectors looks like?

Drawing upon the Mercatus Center's expertise in regulatory analysis, the Financial Markets Working Group combines scholarly research with a deep understanding of the policy process to offer productive ideas to address the serious problems in financial markets. In this, the Group's second event for Congressional and Agency staffers, our scholars will provide a substantive briefing of some of the underlying issues currently being debated in Congress, such as:

  • How does industry react in the face of regulatory reform? What insights can economics provide on the issues of regulatory capture and rent seeking by regulated industries? What steps can policymakers take to ensure they are making the best decisions?
  • What exactly does it mean when a company files for bankruptcy? What is the difference between a Chapter 11 and a Chapter 7 filing? What role can courts play in reorganization of insolvent firms?
  • What rights do shareholders have when disagreements arise about the management of a firm? How can the use of proxies help or hinder the exercise of these rights? How does the Governments role as a large stakeholder in the financial services sector change this dynamic?
  • How are economists viewing the overall situation still unraveling in the financial markets? What unique perspective can academics bring to the table?