Neoclassical economics assumes that provision for the future is simply a matter of the will to save enough of one's current income. However, saving requires the availability of a secure instrument. Historically, the availability of such instruments has always been a problem. The social security...

The paper analyzes why households in transition economies prefer to hold sizeable shares of their assets in cash at home rather than in banks. Using survey data from ten Central, Eastern and Southeastern European countries, I document the relevance of this behavior and show that cash preferences...

Neoclassical economics assumes that provision for the future is simply a matter of the will to save enough of one’s current income. However, saving requires the availability of a secure instrument. Historically, the availability of such instruments has always been a problem. The social...