March 17, 2010

Honors thesis plumbs meltdown

A Harvard honors thesis on the Wall Street meltdown is a source for an important new book on the subject.

The summa cum laude thesis in economics written by A.K. Barnett-Hart ’09 was a useful source for Michael Lewis's just-published book The Big Short, on the Wall Street meltdown and ensuing recession, according to Peter Lattman's "Deal Journal," a Wall Street Journal blog. Lewis, the author of Liar's Poker, Moneyball, and The Blind Side, lauds Barnett-Hart's thesis, handed in just a year ago, in his acknowledgments section, asserting that it "remains more interesting than any single piece of Wall Street research on the subject." Titled "The Story of the CDO [collateralized debt obligations] Market Meltdown: An Empirical Analysis," Barnett-Hart's thesis also won a Harvard Hoopes Prize for outstanding scholarly work.

You might also like

A group of children interacts with an adult man, some laughing and smiling.

A colleague remembers the late Harvard professor and child psychiatrist, who died this month.

A photograph of the inside of the From Iran exhibit at the Harvard Peabody Museum

Tk tk Iran

Artist Azadeh Akhlaghi reconstructs moments of Iranian political upheaval in a series of meticulously staged images.

Harvey Mansfield seated in a bright yellow chair, surrounded by bookshelves and cozy decor.

The retired government professor has been a rare conservative voice on campus for decades.

Most popular

A blue refrigerator covered with animal pictures, notes, and drawings, surrounded by greenery.

An animal’s journey from grief to love shows how much humans need each other, too.

A man in a suit waves while smiling, with greenery in the background.

He was Harvard’s quintessential people person

An older man sits on a gravestone in a cemetery, looking contemplative.

The Secrets of Haiti’s Living Dead

A Harvard botanist investigates mystic potions, voodoo rites, and the making of zombies.

Explore More From Current Issue

Two colorful octopuses swim among vibrant coral and sea life in a lively underwater scene.

Research

New Harvard research finds octopuses go beyond sight and touch to find mates.

Black and white photo of Joseph Murray in a white lab coat sitting in an office.

Alumni Profiles

Nobel Prize recipient Joseph E. Murray dedicated much of his career to organ transplant surgery.

Graduates in caps and gowns celebrate joyfully, raising their hands in excitement.

Commencement

Conan O’Brien headlines a star-studded cast