It has been four years since the financial crisis of 2008, and the global financial system still is experiencing malaise caused by high rates of unemployment; a lingering, unresolved supply of foreclosed properties; the deepening European debt crisis; and fear of a recurrence of the bank turmoil that brought about the Great Recession. All of these factors have led to stagnant economic growth worldwide.

In "Rocky Times," editors Yasuyuki Fuchita, Richard J. Herring, and Robert E. Litan bring together experts from academia and the banking sector to analyze the difficult issues surrounding troubled large financial institutions in an environment of economic uncertainty and growing public anger. Continuing the format of the previous Brookings- Nomura collaborations, Rocky Times focuses largely on developments within the United States and Japan but looks at those in other nations as well.

This volume examines two broad areas: the Japanese approach to regulating financial institutions and promoting financial stability and the U.S. approach in light of the Dodd-Frank Act. Specific chapters include "Managing Systemwide Financial Crises: Some Lessons from Japan since 1990," "The Bankruptcy of Bankruptcy," "The Case for Regulating the Shadow Banking System," "Why and How to Design a Contingent Convertible Debt Requirement," and "Governance Issues for Macroprudential Policy in Advanced Economies."

Contributors: Gavin Bingham (Systemic Policy Partnership, London), Charles W. Calomiris (Columbia Business School), Douglas J. Elliott (Brookings Institution), Kei Kodachi (Nomura Institute of Capital Markets Research), Morgan Ricks (Vanderbilt Law School).

While the immediate dangers from the recent financial crisis have abated --much of the financial system has returned to profitability and the economy is growing, albeit slowly --the damage to the economy will linger for years. Among the many impacts is the problem that may be most acute in the United States: how state and local governments and private companies will honor their obligations under defined benefit (DB) pension plans. Institutional investors also confront new difficulties in the low-interest-rate environment that has prevailed since the onset of the crisis. East Asian economies, namely in Japan, Korea, and China, also face pension issues as their populations age.

In "Growing Old," experts from academia and the private sector consider the hard questions regarding the future of pension plans and institutional money management, both in the United States and in Asia. This volume is the latest collaboration between the Brookings Institution and the Nomura Institute of Capital Markets Research on issues confronting the financial sector of common interest to audiences in the United States and Japan.

Contributors: Olivia S. Mitchell (Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania), Akiko Nomura (Nomura Institute of Capital Markets Research), Robert Novy-Marx (Simon Graduate School of Business, University of Rochester), Betsy Palmer (MFS Investment Management), Robert Pozen (Harvard Business School), Joshua Rauh (Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University), Natalie Shapiro (MFS Investment Management)

"As the global economy continues to weather the effects of the recession brought on by the financial crisis of 2007-08, perhaps no sector has been more affected and more under pressure to change than the industry that was the focus of that crisis: financial services. But as policymakers, financial experts, lobbyists, and others seek to rebuild this industry, certain questions loom large. For example, should the pay of financial institution executives be regulated to control risk taking? That possibility certainly has been raised in official circles, with spirited reactions from all corners. How will stepped-up regulation affect key parts of the financial services industry? And what lies ahead for some of the key actors in both the United States and Japan? In After the Crash, noted economists Yasuyuki Fuchita, Richard Herring, and Robert Litan bring together a distinguished group of experts from academia and the private sector to take a hard look at how the financial industry and some of its practices are likely to change in the years ahead. Whether or not you agree with their conclusions, the authors of this volume-the most recent collaboration between Brookings, the Wharton School, and the Nomura Institute of Capital Markets Research-provide well-grounded insights that will be helpful to financial practitioners, analysts, and policymakers. "

There is little dispute that the mortgage meltdown of 2007, created by irresponsible lending and lax oversight, helped lead to the global financial crisis. Why were these securities backed by subprime debt so desirable to so many seemingly sophisticated investors? The answer lies in distorted incentives, opaque securitization structures and a willingness to believe that house prices would continue to rise indefinitely and the hope for super-normal returns. In "Prudent Lending Restored" experts from the United States, Europe, and Japan draw a timeline of key events along the road to our most recent recession. Providing an in-depth analysis of the causes of the subprime mortgage meltdown, they propose reforms, including a more simplified securitization process with emphasis on oversight to encourage more prudent lending. This timely volume --the collaboration between the Brookings Institution and the Nomura Institute of Capital Markets Research --argues that securitization can and should have a brighter future, and they lay out ways that will make that possible.

Contributors: Jennifer E. Bethel (Babson College), Robert E. Eisenbeis (Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta), Allen Ferrell (Havard Law School), G?nter Franke (Konstanz University, Germany), Jack Guttentag (University of Pennsylvania), Gang Hu (Babson College), Tetsuya Kamiyama (Nomura Institute of Capital Markets Research, Tokyo), Kei Kodachi (NICMR), Jan P. Krahnen (Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany), Joseph R. Mason (Louisiana State University), Igor Roitburg (Default Mitigation Management LLC), and Eiichi Sekine (NICMR).

"One of the first rules of investing is diversification: spreading resources over many types of investments in order to minimize financial risk. Mutual funds have been the diversification vehicle of choice for the last several decades. In recent years, however, other opportunities for diversification-such as separately managed accounts and exchange-traded funds-have enjoyed rapid growth. What lies ahead for the mutual fund industry in light of this increasingly competitive environment? In this volume, experts from the United States and Japan look at forces of change in their securities markets and offer their views of the future for mutual funds and other forms of securities diversification. Contributors include Harold Bradley (Kauffman Foundation), Koichi Iwai (Nomura Institute of Capital Markets Research),Ajay Khorana (Georgia Institute of Technology),Allan Mostoff (Mutual Fund Directors Forum), Brian Reid (Investment Company Institute), Henri Servaes (London Business School), Paula Tkac (Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta), and Peter Wallison (American Enterprise Institute). "

"New financial instruments-such as structured financial products and exchange-traded funds-and new financial institutions-including hedge funds and private-equity funds-present opportunities as well as policy and regulatory challenges in U.S. and Japanese financial markets. This book presents cutting-edge research from experts in academia and the financial industry on new instruments and new institutions while contrasting their developments in the different countries. The contributors highlight the innovative way in which Japanese financiers and government officials have learned from the U.S. regarding the introduction of new instruments into their market. New Financial Instruments and Institutions continues the productive collaboration between the Brookings Institution and the Nomura Institute of Capital Markets Research in examining current issues in capital and financial markets. Contributors include Jennifer Bethel (Babson College),Todd Broms (Managed ETFs, LLC), Frank Edwards (Columbia Business School), Allen Ferrell (Harvard Law School),Yasuyuki Fuchita (Nomura Institute of Capital Markets Research), Gary Gastineau (Managed ETFs, LLC), Ken Lehn (University of Pittsburgh), Josh Lerner (Harvard Business School), Frank Partnoy (University of San Diego Law School), Adam Posen (Institute for International Economics), Ken Scott (Stanford Law School), Steve G. Segal (Boston University, J.W. Childs Associates),Yuta Seki (Nomura Institute of Capital Markets Research, New York), Erik Sirri (Babson College), and Randall Thomas (Vanderbilt Law School). "

Developed country capital markets have devised a set of institutions and actors to help provide investors with timely and accurate information they need to make informed investment decisions. These actors have become known as " financial gatekeepers" and include auditors, financial analysts, and credit rating agencies. Corporate financial reporting scandals in the United States and elsewhere in recent years, however, have called into question the sufficiency of the legal framework governing these gatekeepers. Policymakers have since responded by imposing a series of new obligations, restrictions, and punishmentsall with the purpose of strengthening investor confidence in these important actors. Financial Gatekeepers provides an in-depth look at these new frameworks, especially in the United States and Japan. How have they worked? Are further refinements appropriate? These are among the questions addressed in this timely and important volume. Contributors include Leslie Boni (University of New Mexico), Barry Bosworth (Brookings Institution), Tomoo Inoue (Seikei University), Zoe-Vonna Palmrose (University of Southern California), Frank Partnoy (University of San Diego School of Law), George Perry (Brookings Institution), Justin Pettit (UBS), Paul Stevens (Investment Company Institute), Peter Wallison (American Enterprise Institute)