Iceland, in many ways, was Ireland on crack. Its bank assets to GDP ratio in 2007 was nearly 1000 percent. So when Iceland got into trouble, it was going to be the mother of all banking crises. But there was one important difference. Where Ireland followed the mantra of austerity, slashed spending, and bailed its banks, Iceland let its banks go bankrupt, devalued its currency, put up capital controls, and bolstered welfare measures. A comparison of the two is as close to a natural experiment of the effects of austerity and bailouts as you are likely to find.

Mark Blyth, Austerity, loc. 638