This paper shows that having access to a fast Internet connection is an important determinant of capitalization effects in property markets. We combine microdata on property prices in England between 1995 and 2010 with local availability of Internet broadband connections. Rich variation in...

We study Ramsey monetary policy in a New Keynesian model embodying pollutant emissions and greenhouse gas emissions control policy. We find that the optimal response of inflation to technology shocks is crucially affected by the environmental regime adopted for emissions control.

We introduce a variant of the smooth transition autoregression - the GSTAR model - capable to parametrize the asymmetry in the tails of the transition equation by using a particular generalization of the logistic function. A General-to-Specific modelling strategy is discussed in detail, with...

We study the potential impact of fiscal devaluation policies on the Italian economy using IGEM, a dynamic general equilibrium model for the Italian economy developed at the Department of Treasury of the Italian Ministry of the Economy and Finance. The simulations show that fiscal devaluation...

Using a unique panel dataset from 2006-2012 Bank of Italy Survey on Household Income and Wealth that links households to their main bank, we are able to investigate the determinants of bank switching by households. Household-bank relationship matters crucially in terms of exclusivity (using a...

The life satisfaction literature generally focuses on how life events affect subjective well-being. Through a contingent valuation survey we test whether well-being preferences have significant impact on life satisfaction. A sample of respondents is asked to simulate a policymaker decision...

The paper takes advantage of the Italian experience in the Lehman crisis to test the effects of banking shocks on the real decisions of client firms. The analysis exploits plant-level data and models the magnitude of the shock with banks' pre-crisis holding of Dollar-denominated assets and...

We derive bounds for the average of math and language scores of elementary school students in Italy correcting for pervasive score manipulation. Information on the fraction of manipulated data is retrieved from a natural experiment that randomly assigns external monitors to schools. We show how...

We study competition in capital markets subject to moral hazard when investors cannot prevent side trading. Perfect competition is impeded by entrepreneurs’ threat to borrow excessively from multiple lenders and to shirk. As a consequence, investors earn positive rents at equilibrium. We then...

We derive a theoretical model of effort in the presence of career concern based on the multi-unit all-pay auction, and closely inspired by the Italian academic market. In this model, the number of applicants, the number of new posts, and the relative importance of the determinants of promotion...