This book explores the issue of private sector over-indebtedness following the recent financial crisis. It addresses the various challenges for policymakers, investors and economic agents affected by applied remedial policies as the private non-financial sector in Europe continues to face increased challenges in servicing its debt, with the problem mainly concentrated in several countries in the EU periphery and Eastern Europe. Chapters from expert contributors address reduced investment as firms concentrate on deleveraging and repairing their balance sheets, curtailed consumer spending, depressed collateral values and weak credit creation. They examine effective policies to facilitate private sector debt restructuring which may involve significant upfront costs in terms of time to implement and committed budgetary resources, as well as necessary reforms required to improve the broader institutional framework and judicial capacity. The book also explores the issue of over indebtedness in the household sector, contributing to the literature in establishing best practice principles for household debt.

The recent financial crisis has generated many structural changes within the economy. Many issues are ongoing, and the question of how to recover from the crisis, and how to avoid another one, are continually addressed by scholars and practitioners everywhere. Where there is much discussion within academic and practitioner circles, there is not always adequate interaction between these schools of research. This book provides a thorough overview of the recent financial crisis from the perspective of both industry practitioners and academics specialising in the area. The first part provides practitioner insight on the crisis, and explores the causes and effects and of the recession, European public financing, ECB monetary policy and the Euro, the repression of financial markets, and financial stability. Part two focuses on the case of Greece, as a country still heavily impacted by the crisis, which has undergone various unorthodox policies imposed by the IMF, the ECB the EU. The third part provides insight from researchers and academics, covering an array of Economic theories and revealing new economics architectures available for the future. With informed views from both financial industry practitioners and academics, this book discusses current issues and implementable solutions for a faster post-crisis recovery.