"You learn most about the character of an economy when it is in crisis, and there have been many to learn from. This book provides a first comprehensive, intuitive, and insightful description of the many macro-financial crises of recent decades. The two leading macroeconomists of our times cut through the clutter and distill essential lessons for students and policymakers." --Gita Gopinath, First Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund "In this crash course, two top economists introduce students to what we know about financial crises, with a taste of economic theory and an abundance of fascinating case studies." --Greg Mankiw, Harvard University "Written by two of the leading economic thinkers today, A Crash Course on Crises is an eminently readable introduction to modern thinking about the macroeconomic and financial underpinnings of economic crises. The book, targeted at the intelligent undergraduate, the curious policymaker, and the interested public citizen, unpacks complex ideas while explaining the causes of crises as well as the tools policymakers have used to recover from them. It will be very useful as accompanying reading in any macroeconomics or macro-finance course." --Raghuram Rajan, author of The Third Pillar "A remarkably fresh take on teaching financial crises, drawing on examples from around the world to eloquently exposit even the most difficult concepts in a thoroughly engaging format.

" --Kenneth S. Rogoff, coauthor of This Time Is Different.