In the aftermath of the financial crisis, the UK government was criticized for engaging in austerity and not borrowing more. Click here and here to read a couple of op-ed pieces by Kenneth Rogoff which argue that the UK government did the right thing by not borrowing more. The UK is a heavily-indebted nation both in terms of it actual debts and its off-balance-sheet debts i.e., the liabilities of the UK banks for which it is responsible and its pension liabilities. Rogoff also argues that the UK's credit status and history is not as rosy as some would suggest.
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.