This paper investigates the relationship between financial optimism and non-participation in pension schemes in the UK. We show that financial optimism reduces the probability of employees joining employer run pension schemes and also the probability of the self-employed subscribing to private...

This study develops three heuristics to measure financial optimism: financial expectation, a priori optimism, and a posteriori optimism. This paper finds that financial optimism has a significant positive effect on risk taking behaviour. Optimistic investors choose risky portfolios over...

We examine the importance of variable output (Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate) on the preferences of the policy makers. We do so by examining the effect of output regimes on the form of monetary policy implemented by the central banks. We use simple monetary policy rules to characterize...

This paper explores the issue of creative accounting and evidence of its use in Pakistan. The financial characteristics of Pakistani companies, officially or publically identified for using some form of creative accounting are investigated and explored. Through the use of financial ratios and a...

Privatization programmes in the developing world have often been assessed on the grounds of efficiency. In recent years a more critical literature with a focus on the distributional and poverty impact of privatization has emerged. This article contributes to that literature in two ways. First,...

Recent development literature has placed priority on poverty reduction, and on possible growth enhancement from a more equal distribution of assets and income. At the same time, empirical work consistently shows that economic growth is no more than distribution neutral. In that context, this...

"Since 2008, Europe has been shaken by an ongoing crisis. If relevant parts of populations are exposed to socioeconomic risks, it is a distinctive characteristic of European political ethics that they must not be left alone, but should be subject to support and solidarity by budget support...

This article examines the sustainability of wholesale power prices following the 2001 economic crisis in Argentina. We depart from the contractual disputes between the multinational power generating companies and the state of Argentina, arising from price and investment interventions after the...