Arguing that a relatively high cost of deposit insurance indicates that a bank takes excessive risks, this article estimates the cost of deposit insurance for a large sample of banks in 14 economies to assess the relationship between the risk-taking behavior of banks and their corporate...

A distinction is often made between short-term and long-term capital flows: the former are deemed unstable hot money and the latter are deemed stable cold money. Using time-series analysis of balance of payments data for five industrial and five developing countries, we find that in most cases...

This article investigates the behavior of stock returns in the twenty stock markets represented in the International Finance Corporation's Emerging Markets Data Base. The aim is to test for return anomalies and predictability. Using statistical methodologies that have identified seasonal and...

Equity flows to developing countries have increased sharply in recent years. Foreign equity investment can be beneficial to developing countries because of its risk-sharing characteristics and effects on resource mobilization and allocation. Empirical evidence shows that the stock markets of...

Have donors changed their aid-allocation criteria over the past three decades toward greater selectivity, a frequently stated goal of the international development community? Using data on how 22 donors allocated their bilateral aid among 147 countries over 1970--2004, the article finds that...

We assess the dynamics behind the high net resource transfers by donors and creditors to Sub-Saharan African countries. Analyzing the determinants of overall net transfers for a panel of 37 recipient countries in 1978--98, we find that country policies mattered little. Donors--especially...

External debt depresses investment and lowers economic growth below its potential through its negative effect on liquidity and expected profitability. These effects can pull a country into a downward spiral in which both the debtor country and creditors lose. This article considers the...