This volume integrates financial theory, particularly financial contracting theory, into macroeconomics. The role of financial contracts in reducing the conflict between the various factors of production within the firm is described, particularly their influence upon the pricing, employment, production, and financing decisions of firms during various stages of the business cycle. Dr. Krainer takes an unconventional approach to the subject of financial institutions and markets: by applying financial theory to macroeconomic topics, he portrays a different view of how the financial system interacts with the economy.