The violent fluctuations of the Japanese yen through the 1980s and 1990s have played a critical role in Japan's economic decline. Brendan Brown highlights the causes of the yen's bizzare behaviour, and analyses the consequences for the Japanese and global economies. Through this analysis he presents an original hypothesis, linking the periodic sharp upswings of the Yen to poor economic performance and offers a new view as to where the responsibility for failure of the Japanese currency market to function normally lies.

This is a unique insider account of the new world of unfettered finance. The author, an Asian regulator, examines how old mindsets, market fundamentalism, loose monetary policy, carry trade, lax supervision, greed, cronyism, and financial engineering caused both the Asian crisis of the late 1990s and the current global crisis of 2008-2009. This book shows how the Japanese zero interest rate policy to fight deflation helped create the carry trade that generated bubbles in Asia whose effects brought Asian economies down. The study's main purpose is to demonstrate that global finance is so interlinked and interactive that our current tools and institutional structure to deal with critical episodes are completely outdated. The book explains how current financial policies and regulation failed to deal with a global bubble and makes recommendations on what must change.

Capital flows from Asia into the US challenge many assumptions of international financial analysis. This book presents a novel geography of these flows, revealing their driving forces and assessing the market mechanisms necessary for a smooth global flow of funds. It is essential for all those interested in international finance.

The second edition of an innovative undergraduate textbook in Comparative Economic Systems that goes beyond the traditional dichotomies.