We investigate the capital structure of 350 Dutch insurers during the period 1995-2005. Our main findings are: (1) a small company size, a mutual organisation, high profitability, large equity investments, and being a fire insurer, all contribute to higher solvency margins; (2) minimum solvency...

Using area-wide data, we perform a VAR analysis to simulate the responses of inflation and real output following monetary shocks in the EMU. We find that short-term interest rate shocks have a significant impact on real activity, but hardly on prices. M3 shows a perverse short-term response to a...

This paper analyses the impact of monetary shocks on bank lending in Germany. We follow a cross-sectoral approach by looking at six different banking groups. In general, smaller bankshold a larger buffer of liquid assets which they can use to offset monetary shocks. In addition, the response of...

For a panel of 20 industrialized countries from 1970 through 2002,we analyze the role of financial variables in economic cycles. We focus on equity busts, which are considered a proxy for downward revisions of economic prospects. Our empirical findings provide support for financial accelerator...

Using a multi-tier model of the housing market, we show that both starters and movers benefit from mortgage interest deduction for higher income groups. However, such tax favouring also tends to facilitate house price explosions, especially when interest rates and downpayment ratios are low....

Het Paper bevat een empirische analyse van de kredietvraag in Nederland, waarbij wordt onderzocht in hoeverre de kredietverlening asymmetrisch reageert op renteveranderingen. Er worden twee vormen van asymmetrie onderzocht: (1) verschillen tussen perioden van rentestijging en rentedaling, en (2)...

We investigate the determinants of Dutch households' preferences for income redistribution, using survey data. Our results show that support for redistributive policies is related to self-interest, exposure to misfortune and risk-aversion. In addition, people who believe that prosperity is...