Using a dataset including more than 6,000 Italian small firms over the period 2010-2012, we find an higher credit growth rate for companies that employ Ict in a more widespread and sophisticated way. This may be related to the improvement of the transparency of small businesses connected with...

The profit and loss sharing principle that is peculiar to Islamic finance reformulates the allocation of risk between stakeholders. Since in Islamic banks depositors are closer to stockholders in terms of residual claiming on profits, the relationship between capitalization and efficiency should...

Using data from a World Bank survey carried out in Bangladesh during the period 1991-1992, we compare the impact of microfinance programs and other types of credit on agricultural investment. After controlling for several measurable determinants of credit agreements, such as interest rates and...

Using Italian data in the period 1999-2002, we estimate the impact of trials delay on the willingness to commit crimes against property. However, the endogenous relationship that links the former to the latter could generate serious problems of inconsistency in the estimation procedure. Since...

This paper aims at identifying a causal relationship going from bank interest rates and credit rationing to usury. We manage the endogeneity issues by exploiting the variables that are related to bankruptcy proceedings as exogenous factors that affect bank variables, but not the other...

In this paper we analyse the role of peers' solidarity in fostering investment in production in the context of micro?nance. When there is asymmetric information between lenders and borrowers on the use of borrowed funds and loans are not collateralized, there is a high chance that borrowers use...

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the role of the quality of government on financial supervisory structures in different countries. Design/methodology/approach – The objectives are pursued by means of econometric tools based on probit and multinomial logit techniques. Findings – It...

This stimulating and original Handbook offers an updated and systematic discussion of the relationship between central banks, financial regulation and supervision after the global financial crisis.

Most Microfinance institutions (MFIs) worldwide focus their efforts in relieving the poor from financial constraints through micro-loans. This research focuses on integrating a money management and entrepreneurial training plan to a lending program in a non-profit MFI in Kolkata, India. The...