<human>:  What's the historical context of the current economic crisis?
<bot>: The current economic crisis is rooted in the financial crisis of 2008-2009, which was caused by a combination of a housing market bubble and a rapid increase in subprime mortgage lending in the United States. This led to the collapse of several large financial institutions, the bailout of banks by national governments, and the recession that followed. The combined effects of the crisis and the resulting recession have negatively impacted global financial markets, with prolonged economic downturns in many countries. It has also increased global income inequality and triggered an ongoing political and economic debate about how best to respond to the crisis.