Contributors to this volume on economic crisis address key themes: -putting 'the crisis this time' in historical and theoretical perspective -analyzing the role of banks and derivatives in global financialization -interrogating Wall Street and the City of London before and after the crisis -surveying the crisis in the USA, the UK, Europe, Japan and South Africa -taking the measure of the impact of the crisis on working class families -showing how 'exit strategies' are reviving neoliberalism -surveying the struggles against the new public austerity in Greece, Ireland, UK and USA This volume ù the first of two ù offers critical perspectives on 'exit strategies' geared towards revitalizing neoliberal capitalism and considers the social and political impact of the crisis on the working class. Next year's volume will extend the geographical focus to China, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Latin America, and deepen the analysis of the epicentre of the crisis in the USA.