I study the liquidity of global stock exchanges and how it determines cross sectional returns on stock portfolios of the exchanges. I measure liquidity by turnover ratio computed as value of shares traded over the market capitalization. I obtain data from FIBV, an association of global stock...

This paper compares outcomes for borrowers who received face-to-face credit counseling with similarly situated consumers who opted for counseling via the telephone or internet. Counseling outcomes are measured using consumer credit report attributes one or more years following the original...

This paper develops a two-sector overlapping generations (OLG) model of the co-evolution of urbanization, saving, and fertility in developing economies. Children are viewed as a means of old-age support, particularly in the rural sector, as well as a good valued for its own sake. It is shown...

Do improvements in credit markets restrict or broaden economic disparities? Deregulation of intrastate branching, an exogenous shock to U.S. mortgage markets, led to an increase in the overall stock and flow of mortgages. This increase was disproportionately higher for marginal borrowers such as...

This paper examines the feasibility and economic benefits of stock exchanges alliances among OIC countries. Despite common Islamic culture, OIC local capital market conditions are heterogeneous depending on legal jurisdictions, income level and the maturity of stock market development....

This paper examines the performance of seven indexes chosen from the Dow Jones Islamic Market Index (DJIM) vis-à-vis their non-Islamic counterparts using a variety of measures such as Sharpe, Treynor, Jensen and Fama’s selectivity, net selectivity and diversification. Second, we examine the...

China’s transition produces both positive and negative social and economic results. Changes of the growth pattern, institutions, and development strategy will drive China’s future transition and development.

We examine the pricing patterns of payday lenders in Colorado between 2000 and 2005, using Tobit estimation techniques to account for legislated price ceilings, and a Heckman correction procedure to correct for locational choices made by payday lenders. Our preliminary results contain evidence...

In 2009, the National Endowment for Financial Education initiated a project to study the "Implications of a Quarter Century Research in Personal Finance." As part of that effort, one of the major themes chosen was to study the measurement and evaluation of participant outcomes. This paper is...

We report the results of a decision simulation conducted among 349 adults whose task was to invest in a hypothetical 401(k) retirement plan. We varied the number of mutual funds offered for investment and observed the effects on the incidence and extent of participation. The results indicate...