How important is financial development for economic development? A costly state verification modelof financial intermediation is presented to address this question. The model is calibrated to match factsabout the U.S. economy, such as intermediation spreads and the firm-size distribution for the...

This paper examines the characteristics of firms that voluntarily provide interim financial reports. Based on a sample of Swiss companies, where semi-annual reports became mandatory in 1997, I document that before interim reports became mandatory, analyst coverage, i.e. analysts demand for...

Verfolgt man die internationale Wirtschaftspresse im ersten Quartal des Jahres 2000, rund zweieinhalb Jahre nach dem Ausbruch der Finanzkrise in neun aufstrebenden Ländern Südostasiens, so häufen sich die Schalmeienklänge über eine rasche Erholung dieser Länder und über die Rückkehr des...