The possible existence of a link between the structure of firms' equity and profitability is a recurrent question among economists. The primary objective of this article is to provide a critical analysis of the two most recent hypotheses on the subject, one put forward by Demsetz, and the other...

We investigate the capital structure dynamics of a panel of 766 firms from five Western Europe countries: France, Italy, UK, Germany and Switzerland over the period 1996-2007. If firms adjust their capital structure towards an optimal level with adjustment costs affecting this optimization...

In this paper, we investigate the interactions between public debt and transfer policies in a framework based on Floden [2001], that we extend to allow for transitional dynamics between steady states. First, we show that, starting from a high level of public debt, it is possible to implement a...

After two debt relief initiatives launched in 1996 (the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries, HIPC Initiative) and in 1999 (The enhanced HIPC initiative), the G7 decided to go further by cancelling the remaining multilateral debt for these HIPC countries through the Multilateral Debt Relief...

After two debt relief initiatives launched in 1996 (the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries, HIPC Initiative) and in 1999 (The enhanced HIPC initiative), the G7 decided to go further by cancelling (most of) the remaining multilateral debt for these HIPC countries through the Multilateral Debt Relief...

The paper focuses on the signaling value of a tax when agents are less informed than the government on the effect of their consumption. The policy making process is analyzed as a game in which the government wants to influence consumers' behaviors through tax policy, consumers being rational and...

Les préoccupations redistributives caractéristiques du modèle social français ont été remises en cause dans la période récente tant par la montée de l’idéologie libérale que par la mondialisation qui limite la capacité des Etats à prélever sur les plus riches. L’article...

This paper examines the evolution of wealth distribution in France during the urbanization process of the nineteenth century, based on a comprehensive dataset of individual inheritances. It presents a spatial decomposition between rural and urban areas, distinguishing Paris from the rest of...

Because IPO mechanisms determine both the initial trading price and the allocation of newly-listed firms' shares, they have financial and strategic consequences for shareholders. For that reason, it is of interest to analyse the relative advantages and disadvantages of the different procedures...