Advanced economic systems have very complex webs of contracts, such as financial derivatives. For Europe, Leijonhufvud argues, this implies a three-pronged approach that focuses on “levels of leverage,” “maturity mismatches,” and “the topology of the web,” – that is, “its connectivity and the presence of critical nodes that are ‘too big to fail.’”
发达经济体有着非常复杂的合约网络，例如金融衍生产品。莱琼霍夫德指出，应对当前的欧洲危机需要关注三重问题的相互叠加：“杠杆率”、“期限错配”与“网络拓扑”，也就是“其联通性与关键节点的存在导致其“太大而不能倒”。这是因为“合约网络已经出现了严重失调”。坚持履行所有合约，将会“引发绝大部分合约网络的崩溃”以及“严重的经济灾难以及无法估量的社会与政治后果。”