AUTHOR'S BIO
Mark Roe
Mark Roe is a professor at Harvard Law School.
| RECENT COMMENTARIES | FEATURED COMMENTARIES | MOST READ COMMENTARIES |
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Tobin Trouble
Mark Roe Series: The Rules Of The Game 
2012-02-17European leaders are seriously considering a Tobin tax, which would put a small levy on financial transactions, thereby dampening trading. But that is neither a desirable outcome nor an appropriate goal.... read Comments: 2 Recommended: 0 Read: 7078
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Reforming Repo Rules
Mark Roe Series: The Rules Of The Game 2011-12-21
This October, the derivatives firm MF Global filed for bankruptcy after losing more than $1 billion of its customer's funds in a number of complex "repos," or repurchase agreements. Until repos are reformed, the stability of the global financial system will remain at risk.... read Comments: 5 Recommended: 0 Read: 11784
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Clearinghouse Over-Confidence
Mark Roe Series: The Rules Of The Game 2011-10-26To reduce the chance that a financial meltdown like that of 2007-2008 will recur, regulators are now seeking to buttress institutions for the longer run by strengthening clearinghouses for derivatives – instruments that accelerated the implosion of AIG and others in the last financial crisis. But a clearinghouse is no panacea.... read Comments: 2 Recommended: 0 Read: 10340
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America’s First Debt Crisis
Mark Roe Series: The Rules Of The Game 2011-08-08
Both Europe and America should learn a lesson from US history: lost in the haze of patriotic veneration of America’s founding fathers is the fact that they created a new country during – and largely because of – a debt crisis. Might today’s crises one day be seen as a similar moment of political creativity?... read Comments: 8 Recommended: 0 Read: 21550
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How Capitalist is America?
Mark Roe Series: The Rules Of The Game
2011-06-20If capitalism’s border is with socialism, we know why the world properly thinks of the US as strongly capitalist. But consider the extent to which capital – that is, shareholders – rules in large businesses: if a conflict arises between capital’s goals and those of managers, who wins?... read Comments: 4 Recommended: 0 Read: 26244
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Fukushima and Derivatives Meltdowns
Mark Roe Series: The Rules Of The Game
2011-04-18
Many financial commentators have likened Japan’s nuclear catastrophe to the 2008 financial meltdown. But, while the resemblance between these crises is clear enough – each activity yields big benefits and a tiny but explosive risk – it ends where preventing their recurrence begins.... read Comments: 1 Recommended: 2 Read: 15952
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The Economic Future of Egypt’s Revolution
Mark Roe Series: The Rules Of The Game
2011-02-21The question of the day regarding Egypt is whether the country will build a democratic political system or relapse into some form of autocratic regime. But an equally important question – above all for Egyptians, but also for other developing countries (and development experts) – is the economic impact of the outcome.... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 25271
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Weak Labor, Strong Securities Markets
Mark Roe Series: Frontiers of Growth 2004-06-10A vital distinction between market economies is the degree to which ownership of large firms is separate from a firm's day-to-day management. What makes a company's owners willingly hand over control to professional managers? That question is increasingly urgent as wealthy countries-as well as many transition and developing economies-attempt to create the robust securities markets needed to boost investment, productivity, and growth. ... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 19856
