(My title not Bloomberg.com's - I wondered when someone would finally talk about Milton and the University of Chicago). 
Please read the following article on the Chicago School, free-markets and re-regulation:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=a3GVhIHGyWRM&refer=home (I linked it and made sure you could cut and paste).

While some of the economists make statements with which I do not agree (for example, the use of China and India as examples of free markets without government control when the level of state owned enterprises here in China is still phenomenal - especially in Banking, Finance, Telecommunications, and Transportation),  the article provides a great review of the major players during the past few decades and briefly discusses the theories.

Fama - the originator of the efficient markets hypothesis, Robert Lucas, Joseph Stiglitz, James Heckman and many other Nobel Laureates are quoted as well as essential thoughts and analysis of many important situations, causes and events of the present and past crises are discussed.

Some quotes for PPT in my Financial Markets & Institutions class will come from here.