Judge Richard Posner and economist Gary Becker have joined the ranks of academic bloggers that have turned their considerable intellects to the topic of bankruptcy reform. I expected a real treat, but their recent comments on the pending bankruptcy bill are so out of touch (and out of date) that I was amazed to see them advanced. Posner and Becker’s entire discussion rests on the standard chestnut that the bankruptcy bill will benefit consumers because it will reduce creditors’ risk and therefore cut interest rates. That argument not only ignores twenty years of data; it also perpetuates a plodding “perfect markets” model of consumer credit that most theorists have long since abandoned.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1257716