Singapore University of Social Sciences

Global financial crises have been a constant feature of economic life throughout modern times. Financial crises are a measure of the strength and interconnectedness of the global economy, which has intensified in velocity over the last three hundred years to shape the world we live in today. From the Tulip Mania of 1636-7, the South Sea Bubble and the Mississippi Bubble of 1718-20, the Railway Mania of 1844-5, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and Great Depression of 1930-33, the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997-1998, and the Great Recession of 2008-2009, financial panics have reshaped the global economy in fundamental ways. Studying the anatomy of each speculative mania and financial crisis can tell us how financial crises occur, what the costs are, and what can be done to prevent the next one. The course will widen the perspective of students by helping them approach contemporary financial problems and economic policy responses from a global perspective.