An influential theoretical literature has observed that economic diversification can reduce risk and increase financial development. But causality operates in both directions, as a well functioning financial system can enable a society to invest in more productive but risky projects, thereby...

There is now considerable evidence that a range of institutional, legal, cultural, political and religious variables determine financial development. But economists have conjectured that the presence of diversification opportunities in the real economy can also shape the development of the...

Raghuram Rajan was one of the few economists who warned of the global financial crisis before it hit. Now, as the world struggles to recover, it's tempting to blame what happened on just a few greedy bankers who took irrational risks and left the rest of us to foot the bill. In Fault Lines,...

Aus der Finanzkrise ist über die Währungskrise längst eine weltweite Bedrohung des Finanzsystems geworden. Die akuten Brandherde der globalen Finanzstruktur scheinen zwar immer wieder unter Kontrolle, doch unter der Oberfläche brodelt es weiter. Genau hier setzt mit Raghuram Rajan einer der...