In this paper we argue that, for a group of converging economies of the European Union, participation in the euro area has been associated with easier access to financing by domestic economic agents. Easier access to financing was a significant impulse leading to a sharp increase in households'...

This paper investigates the impact of political shocks (positive and negative) on financial markets. Using data from Pakistan for the period January 1999 to September 2006, we link ‘a’ political event to the financial market volatility. We use high frequency data from three indicators...

Recent trends of globalization and financial market internationalization have exposed the vulnerability of many emerging financial markets to external shocks and spillover effects from regional crisis. It is believed that similar spillover effects were the root cause of the 1997 financial crisis...

The factors determining foreign bank efficiency are investigated using a three stage research method. It is found that host market incumbency reduces efficiency of foreign banks in Australia, resulting in over use of inputs. Factors underlying the limited global advantage hypothesis of Berger,...

In this paper we investigate the effects of trade on the national minimum quality standards applied by two trading partners. We employ a simple partial equilibrium model in which national regulators set a minimum quality standard for a product whose quality is unobservable to consumers prior to...

It is well understood that bond markets play an important role in the development of the overall financial sector. Bond markets also help to make efficient investment and financing decisions, to improve efficiency in the design and implementation of monetary policy, provide financial stability...

Recent interest has been stimulated by the growth of income inequality in most developed countries during the 1980s and 1990s. However, considerable uncertainty still exists as to which factors have been the most important causes of this development. This article uses a measure of income...

This paper studies the labour market transitions of female workers from 1993 to 2004, a period of unprecedented economic stagnation for Japan. It provides an excellent setting to investigate how workers are affected and how firms have adjusted their workforces during difficult economic times. To...

Recent aggregate tests of the impact of taxes on long-run growth rates in the OECD countries remain vulnerable to two important criticisms. First, they typically use 'an aggregate average rate, or constructed marginal rate, that probably does not affect the rate that any particular economic...

This study reports new findings on the behavior of index futures (FKLI: code name of Kuala Lumpur Index Futures contract) prices and also records the effect of a major financial crisis on the prices. Since the inception of trading in 1995, the FKLI has been selling at a discount, which gradually...