This paper presents a statistical analysis of the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) evaluated by the Argentinean competition authority, from 1999 to 2011. In particular, we analyze the evolution of the quantity of cases using different classifications and cross checks in accordance with the nature...

This paper is aimed to answer a set of questions through an examination of the literature and empirical evidence on annuities. Every section of the paper try to address one specific question, naming: How important is the ageing problem in the world? How is social security being replaced or...

Longevity is increasing in the whole world, and savings for retirement are growing quickly. There is a potential demand for certainty in the income streams for pensioners since old-fashioned pay-as-you-go systems became financially stressed. A financial product, the annuity contract, offers...

Prior to the 2008 global credit crisis, some developments had occurred in the regulation of the insurance industry worldwide. At different speeds, the world was heading toward a more risk-based solvency regulation and some convergence on principles and criteria. We see a common thread in the...

Inlfation targeting is a relatively new way to administer the monetary policy, since the velocity of money revealed unstable and hard pegs unsustainable. The new regime is one of flexible exchange rates, and the target of the monetary policy becomes the rate of inflation itself, instead of any...

In the whole world there are strong discussions on how to yield a more equitable access and a more efficient provision. One issue linked to efficiency is the achievement of scale economies in the industry, and the optimal dimension of water and sanitation providers. Changes in the industrial...

Since the Great Depression of the 1930s, it was common knowledge in the Latin American water and sanitation sector the idea of take advantage of scale economies, typical of these natural monopolies, in a context favorable to state involvement in the activity. In parallel, the development of...

The insurance industry, in its different business lines, concentrates 11 percent of the World financial assets. As in all the remaining financial activities, it is object of comprehensive regulation of structure, conduct and performance (with diverse emphasis), besides social scrutiny. The...

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is not a unique explanation for growth and progress, but is one of the more useful indicators of the open opportunities. It reveals preferences of the developed countries’ private sector, while the emerging economies seem to participate in a global bid. That bid...

The literature highlights the role of finance in growth. There is evidence on the connection (correlation and causalities) between deeper finance (banking and non banking) and growth. We ask if some countries achieve better results, in terms of growth, with comparable levels of finance. To...