This paper seeks to assess the role of expectations on pension income and financial literacy in the decision of joining a pension fund, using a large household survey for Italy. The results confirm past evidence on the role of income and education, and find a strong role played by financial...

Prices of many consumables differ substantially across the European Union(EU) due to natural segmentation and to the survival of residual man-made barriers. However, we do not know much about the direction and the cause of deviations among countries diamp;#64256;ering mainly in size and income of...

If an economy runs a current account (CA) deficit and finances it via a corresponding net inflow of equity capital, the external debt (ED) does not change, i.e.: the CA deficit does not add to ED. This is no paradox. It simply comes from the definition of CA deficit and ED and points to...

The twelve Central and Eastern European Countries, which either joined the European Union in May 2004 or are scheduled to do so as early as 2007 , often show high current accounts deficit, which are sometimes close or even beyond those values common wisdom and past experience associate with a...