Why Returning to Glass-Steagall Isn’t the Answer

Dissatisfaction with the incomplete or timid nature of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reforms has generated interest in some alternative regulatory proposals. One alternative that’s fairly prominent in progressive circles revolves around the idea of returning to the structure of the 1933 Glass-Steagall Act.

In this video, Jan Kregel explains why we can’t go back. He argues that recent proposals to revive Glass-Steagall are based on a misunderstanding of what banks do and how they make their money.

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You can find this video and others at the Levy Institute’s new YouTube page (videos of speeches and panel discussions from two recent Levy Institute Minsky conferences, in Rio and Athens, will be made available. More to come).