Keynote Address: A Regulatory Framework for Managing Systemic Risk

Authors

Steven L. Schwarcz, Duke Law SchoolFollow

Document Type

Conference Paper

Publication Date

2011

Keywords

systemic risk, financial crisis, financial regulation, financial system, Dodd-Frank Act, European Commission, mortgage backed securities

Abstract

This accessible analysis of systemic risk regulation was delivered as the keynote speech at an October 20, 2011 European Central Bank conference on regulation of financial services. Many regulatory responses, like the Dodd-Frank Act in the United States, consist largely of politically motivated reactions to the financial crisis, looking for villains (whether or not they exist). To be most effective, however, the regulation must be situated within a more analytical framework. In this speech, I attempt to build that framework, showing that preventive regulation is insufficient and that regulation also must be designed to limit the transmission of systemic risk and reduce systemic consequences.

Citation

Steven L. Schwarcz, Keynote Address: A Regulatory Framework for Managing Systemic Risk, European Central Bank Seminar on Regulation of Financial Services in the EU: Surveillance—Resilience—Transparency (October 20, 2011)