I have just received the current issue of Econ Journal Watch, which is a Symposium on the US Sovereign Debt Crisis. Click here to see this issue of EJW. Tyler Cowen, in his introductory remarks, suggests that the US will experience a debt crisis within the next one or two decades. The US federal government is currently borrowing 40 cents of every dollar its spends - is this really sustainable in the long run? I don't think we will see a total default by the US, but a partial one, with the Fed attempting to raise the inflation rate.
My colleague and former PhD student Gareth Campbell has created a website about the British Railway Mania - click here . This episode has been described by the Economist as probably the greatest bubble in human history. Gareth's website provides background on the Mania and posits some explanations for the 'bubble'. In his explanation of why the bubble happened, Gareth places a lot of emphasis on investor myopia regarding future dividends and uncalled capital. His study of investors during the episode does not support the view that this episode was fuelled by naive and irrational investors.