We develop a generalised impulse response function (GIRF) approach to explore the different impacts of aggregate and sectoral shocks within a VAR-GARCH-M model.Using the output of our GIRF analysis, we explore the behaviour of three European countries (Germany, Spain and the UK). We analyse the...

According to set-point theories of subjective well-being, people react to events, but then return to initial levels of happiness and satisfaction over time. We test this idea by examining reaction and adaptation to unemployment in a 15-year longitudinal study. In accordance with set-point...

The UK pension system is traditionally seen as offering a good example to other countries, having features such as a low social security burden of the public sector as well as a high coverage of well-financed voluntary private schemes. But recent developments suggest that the model has shown...

This paper explores the relationship between demographics and aggregate financial asset prices in 7 OECD countries over the past 50 years. Unlike most extant work it adopts an international as well as US focus, and also includes non-demographic variables usually considered to influence asset...

The level of the IPO spread taken by the underwriter is a controversial issue.Some claim that the level is too high and attributes it to collusion between investment banks while others contend to the contrary. The paper examines the spread in the framework of conflicts of interests between the...

The paper studies an incentive contract in a monopolistic and duopolistic credit market where borrowers are dierent in risk. One lender is in an advantaged position with respect to the other due to past relations with the borrowers. The features of the equilibrium contract are investigated. It...

Non-linear public debt adjustment and structural breaks in fiscal policy may affect tests of public debt sustainability. Existing studies address these issues separately. No study has considered both. We address this gap by focusing on Greece, one of the most highly-indebted EMU countries. We...

This paper develops a model for the forward and spot exchange rate which allows for the presence of a Markov switching risk premium in the forward market and considers the issue of testing for the unbiased forward exchange rate (UFER) hypothesis. Using US/UK data, it is shown that the UFER...

Considerable attention has been directed in the recent finance and economics literature to issues concerning the effects on company failure risk of changes in the macroeconomic environment. This paper examines the accounting ratio-based and macroeconomic determinants of insolvency exit of UK...