Crisis and Inequality

The first book to reveal how the Federal Reserve holds the key to making us more economically equal, written by an author with unparalleled expertise in the real world of financial policy Following the 2008 financial crisis, the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy placed much greater focus on stabilizing the market than on helping struggling Americans. As a result, the richest Americans got a lot richer while the middle class shrank and economic and wealth inequality skyrocketed. In Engine of Inequality, Karen Petrou offers pragmatic solutions for creating more inclusive monetary policy and equality-enhancing financial regulation as quickly and painlessly as possible. Karen Petrou is a leading financial-policy analyst and consultant with unrivaled knowledge of what drives the decisions of federal officials and how big banks respond to financial policy in the real world. Instead of proposing legislation that would never pass Congress, the author provides an insider's look at politically plausible, high-impact financial policy fixes that will radically shift the equality balance. Offering an innovative, powerful, and highly practical solution for immediately turning around the enormous nationwide problem of economic inequality, this groundbreaking book: Presents practical ways America can and should tackle economic inequality with fast-acting results Provides revealing examples of exactly how bad economic inequality in America has become no matter how hard we all work Demonstrates that increasing inequality is disastrous for long-term economic growth, political action, and even personal happiness Explains why your bank's interest rates are still only a fraction of what they were even though the rich are getting richer than ever, faster than ever Reveals the dangers of FinTech and BigTech companies taking over banking Shows how Facebook wants to control even the dollars in your wallet Discusses who shares the blame for our economic inequality, including the Fed, regulators, Congress, and even economists Engine of Inequality: The Fed and the Future of Wealth in America should be required reading for leaders, policymakers, regulators, media professionals, and all Americans wanting to ensure that the nation’s financial policy will be a force for promoting economic equality.

This is a book about the crisis of the European integration project as seen from the vantage point of people’s movements across and to the European continent. But why should the issue of refugees or of migration have anything to do with the dynamics of the integration or disintegration of the European Union? If anything, the existing global refugee protection regime was conceived in Europe at about the time when Europe began to integrate: It was seen as a moral imperative in the context of European solidarity and in the face of crisis. How did refugee protection become so controversial as to usher in a crisis of its own? Why do European governments and their peoples see refugees and migrants as the cause of a crisis in and of Europe? Solidarity, legitimacy, democracy, welfare, rights: How has refugee migration undermined European positions on all that has defined EU integration so far? This collection engages with these questions by focusing on the construction of the crisis narrative, offering an insight into distinctly European perspectives on and analyses of political responses to refugees, migration, and economic challenges. The aim of the volume is to provide an empirical and thematic context for understanding the link between refugee migration and the overpowering perception of Europe in crisis.

The Times They Are Changing? Crisis and the Welfare State presents a series of readings from international policy researchers that examine the effects of the recent financial crisis on welfare states around the world. Provides comprehensive and in depth coverage of changes in welfare states as a result of the financial crisis Reveals how the financial crisis is changing our perception of the welfare states Features contributions from policy researchers and academics from around the world

"If you want to know how countries, companies and individuals can master the winds and the waves that will dominate the next decade, this is the book for you." —Rupert Pennant-Rea, former editor of the Economist, Deputy Governor of the Bank of England «'If leading your organisation sometimes feels like changing the front wheel of a bicycle whilst toy are still pedalling it as fast as you can, this is a book you should read.» —Sir David Brown, former Chairman, Motorola UK «Beyond Crisis is full of compelling reasons, clear advice and practical models to help almost any enterprise remain viable beyond the deeply unsettling systemic failures that characterise today's business environment.» —Professor Richard David Hames, Dhurakilpundit University, Founding Director Asian Foresight Institute «We are in uncharted territory. There are few people who any longer think that the world post-crisis will be anything like the world before. Ringland, Sparrow & Lusting provide a clear description of the way that leaders need to think in this new reality. In doing so, they give us hope.» —Estelle Clark, Business Assurance Director, Lloyds Register The next decade will present organisational challenges on an unprecedented scale. Beyond Crisis shows how you can build a 'purposefully self-renewing organisation' which will survive and succeed in the midst of this chaos. The book shows how financial and economic crisis has blighted organisations in every sector, and then provide a range of tools and future scenarios for diagnosing problems and creating solutions. This is a welcome dose of clarity in uncertain times.

Leading philosophers Alice Crary and Lori Gruen offer a searing and desperately needed response to systems of thought and action that are failing animals and, ultimately, humans too. In the wake of global pandemics, mass extinctions, habitat destruction, and catastrophic climate change, they issue a clarion call to address the intertwined problems we face, arguing that we must radically reimagine our relationships with other animals. In stark contrast to traditional theories in animal ethics, which abstract from social mechanisms harmful to human beings,  Animal Crisis  makes the case that there can be no animal liberation without human emancipation. Borrowing from critical theories such as ecofeminism, Crary and Gruen present a  critical animal theory  for understanding and combating the structural forces that enable the diminishment of so many to the advantage of a few. With seven case studies   of complex human-animal relations, they make an urgent plea to dismantle the “human supremacism” that is devastating animal lives and hurtling us toward ecocide.

How oil volatility is affecting the global political scene, and where the oil market is heading The world is rapidly moving towards an oil environment defined by volatility. The Vega Factor: Oil Volatility and the Next Global Crisis takes an in-depth look at the most important topics in the industry, including strategic risk, why traditional pricing mechanisms will no longer govern the market, and how the current government approaches have only worsened an already bad situation. Details the industry's players, including companies, traders, and governments Describes the priorities that will need to be revised, and the policies needed to achieve stability Explains how today's oil market is fundamentally different from the pre-crisis market Oil prices affect everyone. The Vega Factor explains the new international oil environment of increasing consolidation and decreasing competition, and reveals how consumers and investors can navigate price volatility and new government policies.

This book ventures a critical gaze at the image of the European Union beyond the crisis. Keeping in mind that crises constitute organic parts of all systems, the volume attempts to apprehend the EU’s losses, gains, challenges, and opportunities deriving from the crisis and assesses what constitutes a viable and integrated exit from the current predicament. Moreover, through dealing with the EU as an everlasting process rather than a completed edifice, the collection aims at charting the conceptual weaknesses which resulted in a crisis so acute and long-lasting and at opening a discourse on the future and the required reconceptualization of the EU. The project is based on three large and interconnected thematic pillars that relate to the European Union after the crisis: – Facets of parliamentarism in the EU in the context of the crisis, – Political cohesion and institutional integration, – Perceptions, images, stereotypes, and their impact on the process of social and political integration of the EU.

A rare analytical look at the financial crisis using simple analysis The economic crisis that began in 2008 revealed the numerous problems in our financial system, from the way mortgage loans were produced to the way Wall Street banks leveraged themselves. Curiously enough, however, most of the reasons for the banking collapse are very similar to the reasons that Long-Term Capital Management (LTCM), the largest hedge fund to date, collapsed in 1998. The Crisis of Crowding looks at LTCM in greater detail, with new information, for a more accurate perspective, examining how the subsequent hedge funds started by Meriwether and former partners were destroyed again by the lapse of judgement in allowing Lehman Brothers to fail. Covering the lessons that were ignored during LTCM's collapse but eventually connected to the financial crisis of 2008, the book presents a series of lessons for hedge funds and financial markets, including touching upon the circle of greed from homeowners to real estate agents to politicians to Wall Street. Guides the reader through the real story of Long-Term Capital Management with accurate descriptions, previously unpublished data, and interviews Describes the lessons that hedge funds, as well as the market, should have learned from LTCM's collapse Explores how the financial crisis and LTCM are a global phenomena rooted in failures to account for risk in crowded spaces with leverage Explains why quantitative finance is essential for every financial institution from risk management to valuation modeling to algorithmic trading Is filled with simple quantitative analysis about the financial crisis, from the Quant Crisis of 2007 to the failure of Lehman Brothers to the Flash Crash of 2010 A unique blend of storytelling and sound quantitative analysis, The Crisis of Crowding is one of the first books to offer an analytical look at the financial crisis rather than just an account of what happened. Also included are a layman's guide to the Dodd-Frank rules and what it means for the future, as well as an evaluation of the Fed's reaction to the crisis, QE1, QE2, and QE3.

In today's uncertain environment, where nonprofits find themselves grappling with the continued dowturn in the economy, the ongoing war on terrorism, government's cutbacks in social services, and a wave of organizational scandals–groups everywhere are straining to keep up with the increased demand for their services while struggling to generate funding. Fundraising in Times of Crisis draws on renowned consultant Kim Klein's more than twenty-five years of fundraising experience. This much-needed resource shows troubled groups how to identify what is really going on and how to assess the damage. Fundraising in Times of Crisis helps executive directors and development professionals of nonprofit organizations plan for both the short and long term and explains how to evaluate the success of their efforts. Checklists, tips, action steps and a wealth of examples walk you through the process of self-assessment and map out a road to recovery. No matter what your particular crisis–the sudden loss of an executive director, a public scandal, a major donor attrition, or a daunting increase in the demand for services–this book will show you how to survive and thrive in tough times.