A Debtor World contains a collection of contributions about the societal implications of private debt. The essays comprising this volume are authored by dozens of leading U.S. and international academics who have written about debt or issues related to debt in a wide range of disciplines including law, sociology, psychology, history, economics, and more. The goal of this collection is to explore debt neither as a problem nor a solution but as a phenomenon and to promote the exchange of knowledge to better comprehend why consumers and businesses decide to borrow money. It asks what happens to businesses and consumers under a heavy debt load, and what legal norms and institutions societies need to encourage the efficient use of debt while promoting a greater understanding of the global phenomenon of increased indebtedness and societal dependence.
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS ; PREFACE ; I. SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS THAT CREATE AN INDEBTED WORLD ; CHAPTER ONE ; DEBT, CREDIT AND POVERTY IN EARLY MODERN ENGLAND ; CRAIG MULDREW, SENIOR LECTURER IN HISTORY, QUEENS' COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE ; CHAPTER TWO ; DEBT AND THE SIMULATION OF SOCIAL CLASS ; TERESA A. SULLIVAN, PROVOST AND EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS, AND PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN ; CHAPTER THREE ; "HYPERCONSUMPTION" AND "HYPERDEBT": A "HYPERCRITICAL" ANALYSIS ; GEORGE RITZER, DISTINGUISHED UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND ; II. DECISIONS TO LEND ; CHAPTER FOUR ; LENDER INCENTIVES, CREDIT RISK, AND SECURITIZATION: EVIDENCE FROM THE SUBPRIME MORTGAGE CRISIS ; AMIR SUFI, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF FINANCE, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO ; CHAPTER FIVE ; HOW AND WHY CREDIT ASSESSORS "GET IT WRONG" WHEN JUDGING THE RISK OF BORROWERS: PAST AND PRESENT EVIDENCE AT HOME AND ABROAD ; PAUL VAALER, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MANAGEMENT, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA ; GERRY MCNAMARA, PROFESSOR OF MANAGEMENT, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ; III. DECISIONS TO BORROW ; CHAPTER SIX ; THE PSYCHOLOGY OF DEBT IN POOR HOUSEHOLDS IN BRITAIN ; STEPHEN E.G. LEA, PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY AND HEAD OF SCHOOL, UNIVERSITY OF EXETER ; AVRIL J. MEWSE, SENIOR LECTURER IN PSYCHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF EXETER ; WENDY WRAPSON, HONORARY FELLOW IN PSYCHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF EXETER ; CHAPTER SEVEN ; BRAIN, DECISION, AND DEBT ; BRIAN KNUTSON, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE, STANFORD UNIVERSITY ; GREGORY R. SAMANEZ-LARKIN, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE IN PSYCHOLOGY, STANFORD UNIVERSITY ; CHAPTER EIGHT ; THE LIMITS OF ENHANCED DISCLOSURE IN BANKRUPTCY LAW: ANTICIPATED AND EXPERIENCED EMOTION ; RICHARD L. WIENER, PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY AND DIRECTOR OF THE LAW AND PSYCHOLOGY PROGRAM, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT LINCOLN ; JASON A. CANTONE, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE IN PSYCHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT LINCOLN ; MICHAEL HOLTJE, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE IN PSYCHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT LINCOLN ; SUSAN BLOCK-LIEB, PROFESSOR OF LAW, FORDHAM UNIVERSITY ; IV. POLITICAL AND LEGAL RESPONSES TO OVER-INDEBTEDNESS ; CHAPTER NINE ; THE VIRTUE OF CONSUMER BANKRUPTCY ; HEIDI M. HURD, DAVID C. BAUM PROFESSOR OF LAW AND PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS ; CHAPTER TEN ; MISSING DEBTORS: NATIONAL LAWMAKING AND GLOBAL NORM-MAKING OF CORPORATE BANKRUPTCY REGIMES ; TERENCE C. HALLIDAY, CO-DIRECTOR, CENTER ON LAW AND GLOBALIZATION OF THE AMERICAN BAR FOUNDATION & THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF LAW, AND RESEARCH PROFESSOR, AMERICAN BAR FOUNDATION ; SUSAN BLOCK-LIEB, PROFESSOR OF LAW, FORDHAM UNIVERSITY ; BRUCE G. CARRUTHERS, PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY, NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY ; CHAPTER ELEVEN ; BALANCE OF KNOWLEDGE ; ELIZABETH WARREN, LEO GOTTLIEB PROFESSOR OF LAW, HARVARD UNIVERSITY ; INDEX
