2211+Research+on+Financial+crisis


 * Take-home research on Financial Markets Crisis—European contrasts**


 * Note: your answers are due Monday September 29. Class WILL NOT MEET Friday September 26**

This research exercise will help us better understand European political economies, as well as highlight the differences between European nations and the US. In this way, we should better understand our own current crisis. One underlying question behind this assignment is why the crisis has hit here and not in Europe.

__Select one of the following countries to research__

1. Britain 2. Germany 3. France 4. Italy 5. Sweden

__Select one of the following questions to research for that country.__ Prepare a 1-2 page summary of your findings for Monday, September 29. Print out your summary and bring it to class for discussion. Be sure to include any tables that may help.

1. Housing market and housing finances (level of ownership, house purchasing/rental patterns, house price inflation, mortgage patterns) 2. Consumption and consumer credit (levels of consumer activity, access to credit & private indebtedness) 3. Structure of industry (levels of employment and contribution to GDP of manufacturing, agriculture, services; esp financial services) 4. Export orientation and balance of payments (levels of imports versus exports; export industries in employment terms and contribution to GDP; capital flows) 5. Structure of banking industry (what kinds of banks, strength and capitalization, main lines of business) 6. Structure of corporate finance (breadth of share-ownership, access to corporate bond financing, etc) 7. Pension system (how are retirement pensions financed?) 8. Executive pay (levels relative to other companies; regulation if any; trends) 9. Exposure to US asset markets (levels and degree of investment in US by private or public investors; type of investments) 10. Government finances: expenditure and fiscal balance (surplus/deficit; gov’t spending) 11. Government ownership of public enterprise (major sectors/companies; level and trends) 12. Regulation of financial services (who is responsible? Division of responsibility with nation-state and EU, if applic)

**Use the library!**