Book excerpt: What are the long-term causes and consequences of the global financial crisis of 2007–2008? This book offers a fresh perspective on these issues by bringing together a range of academics from law, history, economics and business to look in more depth at the changing relationships between crises and complexity in the US and UK financial markets. The contributors are motivated by three main questions: • Is the present financial system more complex than in the past and, if so, why? • To what extent, and in what ways, does the worldwide financial crisis of 2007–2008 differ from past financial crises? • How can governments, regulators and businesses better manage and deal with increased levels of complexity both in the present and in the future? Students and scholars of finance, economics, history, financial law, banking and international business will find this book to be of interest. It will also be of use to regulators and policymakers involved in the US and UK banking sectors.