Bankers and speculators build castles in the air but when they come crashing down ordinary people have to pick up the tab. How we''ve made such a mess of our money system is explained, from the earliest banks right through to "collateralized debt obligations." The author suggests the framework for a fairer financial world: the practical ideas, required regulations, and real-life examples.

Peter Stalker is a former co-editor of the New Internationalist who now works as a consultant to a number of UN agencies. His books include Workers without Frontiers: The Impact of Globalization on International Migration and the No-Nonsense Guide to International Migration.

Bankers and speculators build castles in the air but when they come crashing down ordinary people have to pick up the tab. How we''ve made such a mess of our money system is explained, from the earliest banks right through to "collateralized debt obligations." The author suggests the framework for a fairer financial world: the practical ideas, required regulations, and real-life examples.

Peter Stalker is a former co-editor of the New Internationalist who now works as a consultant to a number of UN agencies. His books include Workers without Frontiers: The Impact of Globalization on International Migration and the No-Nonsense Guide to International Migration.

Bankers and speculators build castles in the air but when they come crashing down ordinary people have to pick up the tab. How we''ve made such a mess of our money system is explained, from the earliest banks right through to "collateralized debt obligations." The author suggests the framework for a fairer financial world: the practical ideas, required regulations, and real-life examples.

Peter Stalker is a former co-editor of the New Internationalist who now works as a consultant to a number of UN agencies. His books include Workers without Frontiers: The Impact of Globalization on International Migration and the No-Nonsense Guide to International Migration.