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Selected Works

2008

Bankruptcy Law

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Law

Complexity As A Catalyst Of Market Failure: A Law And Engineering Inquiry, Steven L. Schwarcz Aug 2008

Complexity As A Catalyst Of Market Failure: A Law And Engineering Inquiry, Steven L. Schwarcz

Steven L Schwarcz

This article examines how the complexities of modern investment securities and the assets underlying them can trigger a breakdown of financial markets and also analyzes what should be done to mitigate the potential for market failure. Because these complexities are characteristic of complexities in nonlinear engineering systems, the article’s analysis draws on the literature analyzing these systems.


Protecting Financial Markets: Lessons From The Subprime Mortgage Meltdown, Steven L. Schwarcz Feb 2008

Protecting Financial Markets: Lessons From The Subprime Mortgage Meltdown, Steven L. Schwarcz

Steven L Schwarcz

Why did the recent subprime mortgage meltdown undermine financial market stability notwithstanding the protections provided by market norms and financial regulation? This article attempts to answer that question by identifying anomalies and obvious protections that failed to work, and then by examining hypotheses that might explain the anomalies and failures. The resulting explanations provide critical insights into protecting financial markets.