This paper surveys the economic wreckage created by Wall Street's decision to manufacture and sell trillions of dollars of financial securities, which we now call toxic. And we call them toxic, not because they were risky, but because they were fraudulent. Rather than address the fundamental...

From strollers to walkers -- Truth is worse than fiction -- Driving in LA with a map of New York -- Popular tonics, snake oils, and other easy fixes -- Going critical -- Changing course -- Grab your life jacket -- Securing your future

Most economists differ, not on the causes of the Great Recession, but on their relative importance. They concur, though, on the basic problem, namely human, not market failure. This study applies the evidence, some new, some old, to re-try the usual suspects. It finds none guilty. Instead, it...