A better bailout was possible during the financial crisis | George Soros

The Obama administration's refusal to write down mortgage debts led to the rise of Trump

The recent exchange between Joe Stiglitz and Larry Summers about "secular stagnation" and its relation to the tepid economic recovery after the 2008-09 financial crisis is an important one. History does not repeat itself, but it rhymes, Mark Twain reportedly once said. But, to paraphrase Bob Dylan, in light of our recent economic history, history doesn't rhyme, it swears.

Stiglitz and Summers appear to agree that policy was inadequate to address the structural challenges that the crisis revealed and intensified. Their debate addresses the size of the fiscal stimulus, the role of financial regulation and the importance of income distribution. But additional issues need to be explored in depth.

Related: Lehman collapse: what has happened to the markets since?

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Related: What became of the G20 leaders who met in 2008 to avert financial crisis?

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