The history of regulation in America is as old as the republic itself. Since colonial times, Americans have struggled with the conflict between the desire for individual freedom and economic growth, and the need for rules and structure in a civil society. The evolution of the United States from...

This article asserts that, in dealing with the 2007-2009 financial crisis, the Federal Reserve Bank (Fed) has placed its role as monetary agency and de facto steward of the market for U.S. Treasury debt ahead of its statutory responsibility for ensuring the soundness of the private banks. This...

This paper seeks to review events leading up to the financial crisis of 2008, including the massive government intervention into the U.S. financial markets, and then asks some questions and makes some recommendations about changes in specific areas of business practice and public policy as they...

Despite the considerable media attention given to the collapse of the market for complex structured assets that contain subprime mortgages, there has been too little discussion of why this crisis occurred. "The Subprime Crisis: Cause, Effect and Consequences" argues that three basic issues are...

This paper explores the evolution of American economic policy since the New Deal. It argues that an accumulation of statist institutions and policies since World War II have led to the latest financial crisis in the housing sector. The paper then makes proposals with respect to fiscal policy,...

The title "shadow banking system" sounds pejorative and certainly is in the minds of most people who work in or watch the business of money and credit. In the world of subprime real estate, abuse of private financial vehicles with insurance enhancements and ratings led to the collapse of the...

The paper looks at the changes in the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation assessment process since the passage of the Dodd-Frank legislation. It outlines some of the changes made to the insurance premium rates as well as the calculation of the deposit assessment base, and examines how the...

Since its inception in mid-1800s, insurance regulation in the U.S. has continued to evolve in response to changing circumstances and the opportunity to take advantage of new methods and technologies. Important developments in insurance regulatory policies and practices at an international level,...

In the debate over the proposed establishment of a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency, much attention has been given to discussion of whether consumers are irrational or incompetent and therefore need paternalistic regulators to look after them, and whether inadequate consumer protection...

This Policy Brief identifies ten flaws in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and proposes a series of remedies based on repeal and/or alteration of the legislation as it exists. This paper tackles perceived flaws in 1) individual and employer mandates; 2) ACA subsidies; 3) incentives that steer...