Many studies have explored the determinants of current account balances in Europe. However, only in a few studies have trade imbalances been decomposed into intra balances, trade balances vis-à-vis the euro area, and extra balances, trade balances vis-à-vis the rest of the world. In this...

We identify a key trade-off between protecting property rights and enhancing reliance on contracts. For instance, when a dishonest intermediary transfers a good to an innocent buyer without the owner's consent, who between buyer and owner should retain the good? We show that the optimal...