We show that cross-border financial flows arise when countries differ in their abilities to use assets as collateral. Financial integration is a way of sharing scarce collateral. The ability of one country to leverage and tranche assets provides attractive financial contracts to investors in the...

Chapter 1: Why Finance Matters for Economics: The Story of Financing the Railroad -- Chapter 2: The Story of the Original Boom and Bust in Western Finance: The Mississippi Bubble -- Chapter 3: Price Determination in a Multi Sector Global Economy -- Chapter 4: Credit Allocation and the Role of...