doi:10.7916/455y-6v23Oral history interview with Lawrence H. Summers, 2021Summers, Lawrence Horal historiesmixed materialPresidents--United StatesBailouts (Government policy)Global Financial Crisis, 2008-2009--United StatesHealth care reform--United StatesPresidential campaigns--United StatesEconomic policy--United StatesSummers, Lawrence HObama, BarackNational Economic Council (U.S.)Larry Summers reflects on the economic policy of the Obama administration, in which he served as director of the National Economic Council (NEC) from 2009 to 2011. Summers outlines the structure and function of the NEC, discusses the organization of economic policy expertise in the Obama White House, and describes the major economic challenges that the administration faced during the first term. Summers provides details about the major policy debates and initiatives with which he was closely involved, including those surrounding the size and content of the stimulus program, the administration's response to the housing crisis, the reform and regulation of the financial and healthcare industries, and federal support for struggling American automakers. Also discussed are the causes of the 2008 financial crisis, Summers's involvement in the 2008 presidential campaign, lessons from his service in the Clinton administration, his style as an economic policy advisor, and the public reception of the administration's economic policies