One of the basic principles that allow a smooth operation of the markets is the equilibrium between supply and demand. According to this principle, when demand exceeds supply, the price mechanism will try to bring the system back into equilibrium. When this thinking is applied to the housing...

In this paper, we study implications of quasi-geometric discounting for stochastic properties of asset returns that can be observed in the financial market data. In particular, we emphasize that the dividend income from an asset measured in a unit of account may not reflect the whole dividend...

In this paper we ask the empirical question are bond covenants priced? Consistent with the Costly Contracting Hypothesis (CCH) developed by Smith and Warner (1979), we find that they are. We document a negative relation between the promised yield on corporate debt issues and the presence of...

We develop a simple analytical model that highlights the effect of factor rigidities and credit constraints on bankruptcies. In our model, entrepreneurs receive random shocks –positive or negative-- to their working capital, which is needed to pay workers before the output of the firm is...

This paper presents a dynamic model for a small open economy with imperfect financial market. It provides a framework to analyze the role of credit constraints and debt denomination in the generation and amplification of macroeconomic instability in an open economy context. As in Bernanke and...

This study sets out to develop a simplified risk premium model to explain output volatility within the economies of Asia in the immediate aftermath of the Asian financial crisis. Firms are allowed to borrow from both domestic and foreign banks, with the firms� debts being loosely...

This paper presents a simulation analysis of several policies, or policy proposals, for improving housing affordability for first home owner-occupiers in Australia: the First Home Owner Grant, housing equity partnerships and deposit loans. The focus is on the impact of these measures for housing...

Since the pioneering work of Tiebout (1956), economists have recognized that the quality of public services, especially schools, influence house prices. Many empirical studies have attempted to discern the extent to which the quality of public education affects house prices. Initially,...

This paper analyzes the macroeconomic and welfare effects of population aging and Social Security reform. First, a stochastic overlapping-generations model with heterogeneous agents is carefully extended to an aging society. The model uses the intermediate population projection of the Trustee...