The current issue of Econ Journal Watch has a really nice interview with Roland Vaubel, a famous German economist, about the politics of the Euro and the Euro-crisis. Click here for the interview transcript. Vaubel argues that the euro monetary project was a politial one right from its inception and that Germany should exit.
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.