COLIN READ is a columnist and the author of a number of books for the academic and popular press on economic issues. He is a Professor of Economics and Finance at the State University of New York, USA. He has worked in Indonesia for the Harvard Institute for International Development, and at the Harvard-MIT Joint Center for Housing Studies. This is his fourth English language book. His previous titles include: Global Financial Meltdown -- How We Can Avoid the Next Economic Crisis; The Fear Factor -- What Happens When Fear Grips Wall Street and co-edited and co-authored The International Taxation Handbook.