Ronald A. Mann received his JD from the University of Texas where he graduated first in his class and was the managing editor of the Texas Law Review. After graduation, he clerked for judges on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. After three years in private practice, he worked for the Justice Department for four years as an Assistant to the Solicitor General. Before joining the Texas faculty in 2003, he taught for six years at the University of Michigan and for three years at Washington University, St Louis.
Introduction
Part I. The Basics of Payment Cards: 1. Paper or plastic? - payment system functionality
2. The mechanics of payment card transactions
Part II. Easy Money: 3. In defense of credit cards
4. The psychology of card payments - card spending and consumer debt
5. Over the brink - credit card debt and bankruptcy
Part III. The Puzzle of Payment Cards: 6. Explaining the pattern of global card use
7. The introduction of the payment card
8. Revolving credit
9. Point-of-sale debit
10. Convergence and exceptionalism in the use of cards
Part IV. Reforming Payment Systems: 11. Indirect approaches: regulating interchange and encouraging surcharges
12. Contract design
13. Regulating information
14. Product design: affinity and rewards programs and teaser rates
Part V. Optimizing Consumer Credit Markets and Bankruptcy Policy: 15. Causation, consumer credit and bankruptcy
16. Regulating consumer credit markets
17. Consumer bankruptcy reform
Conclusion
Endnotes
Bibliography
Index.
