Search

This article studies the impact of Basel I and Basel II regulation in a bank-based financial system on the degree of competition in the banking sector, as measured via the Panzar and Rosse statistic. Strikingly, our results suggest that, contrary to the regulator’s expectation, stability-oriented regulation reduces competition in the banking sector. Further analysis suggests that while Basel does not have a significant impact on the large banks, it reduces competition among other banks, which move towards uncompetitive dynamics. This shift towards monopoly is aligned with the hypothesis of this regulation to create competitive advantages for large banks at the expense of the others.

The circular economy indices are increasingly recognized as a useful tool to support the development of policies in providing information, reducing environmental pressures and impacts through a circular recycling process. The aim of the paper is to provide a complete overview of circular economy indices.Starting by 137 articles published from 2000 to 2019, the analysis surveys 61 indicators measuring the circular economy. The indicators were grouped by using a double classification: first according to the three spatial dimensions of sustainability -macro, micro and meso- then on the basis of the 3R Core CE principles. Providing all the information related to the formulation strategy, scaling, normalization, weighting and aggregation methodology allows the readers to get a dedicate toolkit.

This paper focuses on the study of an electricity market model, which evolves in T+1 stages, so that, at each stage, a continuum state of nature is possible. The decision-making framework of large consumers is considered: agents consume, they have the opportunity to produce, and the capability of signing contracts. Uncertainty on future possible stages leads to the problem being located in a filtered probability space. The aim is to reformulate the problem as a stochastic quasi-variational inequality, in order to obtain an existence result of equilibrium solutions.

The paper looks at subjective well-being, defined in terms of individuals’ self-reported satisfaction with life, investigating nine dimensions (domains). The combination of the selected domains is ...

This paper proposes a model of the dynamics of credit contagion through non-performing loans on financial networks. Credit risk contagion is modeled in the context of the classical SIS (Susceptibles-Infected-Susceptibles) epidemic processes on networks but with a fundamental novelty. In fact, we assume the presence of two different classes of infected agents, and then we differentiate the dynamics of assets subject to idiosyncratic risk from those affected by systemic risk by adopting a SIIS (Susceptible-Infected1-Infected2-Susceptible) model. In the recent literature in this field, the effect of systemic credit risk on the performance of the financial network is a hot topic. We perform numerical simulations intended to explore the roles played by two different network structures on the long-term behavior of assets affected by systemic risk in order to analyze the effect of the topology of the underlying network structure on the spreading of systemic risk on the structure. Random graphs, i.e., the Erd&ouml, s&ndash, R&eacute, nyi model, are considered &ldquo, benchmark&rdquo, network structures while core-periphery structures are often indicated in the literature as idealized structures, although they are able to capture interesting, specific features of real-world financial networks. Moreover, as a matter of comparison, we also perform numerical experiments on small-world networks.

In economic activity, recessions represent a period of failure in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and usually are presented as episodic and non-linear. For this reason, they are difficult to predict and appear as one of the main problems in macroeconomics forecasts. A classic example turns out to be the great recession that occurred between 2008 and 2009 that was not predicted. In this paper, the goal is to give a different, although complementary, approach concerning the classical econometric techniques, and to show how Machine Learning (ML) techniques may improve short-term forecasting accuracy. As a case study, we use Italian data on GDP and a few related variables. In particular, we evaluate the goodness of fit of the forecasting proposed model in a case study of the Italian GDP. The algorithm is trained on Italian macroeconomic variables over the period 1995:Q1-2019:Q2. We also compare the results using the same dataset through Classic Linear Regression Model. As a result, both statistical and ML approaches are able to predict economic downturns but higher accuracy is obtained using Nonlinear Autoregressive with exogenous variables (NARX) model.

This paper focuses on the possible impact of more efficient credit allocation on a country's processes of structural transformation. We develop a dynamic version of a small-scale general equilibrium model for a dual economy, in which labour reallocation is accompanied by involuntary unemployment in the modern sector, whose degree of financial efficiency varies over time. Counterfactual simulations indicate that structural transformation is faster in economies with greater financial efficiency, because the incentives for intersectoral migration are greater. That is, from the very outset of the transition the expected utility of working in the modern sector is greater. In our simulations, the greater flow of labour does not translate into higher unemployment rates.

This paper tests for excess sensitivity of consumption to predicted income growth using a behavioral model that allows for myopia and/or irrationality. We use a micro-dataset containing subjective expectations about future income and subjective indicators of the families’ financial condition that make us possible to evaluate the response to income changes of agents with liquidity constraint problems. We do not find significant evidence of excess sensitivity of consumption to income, as well as in the case in which we take into account liquidity constraints. Moreover, we find that agent’s systematic errors are statistically significant in explaining consumption changes for all specifications considered.

This paper proposes a dual-sector Solow-type model where labour reallocation interacts with the presence of involuntary unemployment in non-agriculture, as a consequence of efficiency wages considerations. The urban sector features also increasing returns to scale, and the model is used to quantify the role played by externalities on aggregate TFP growth. Results suggest that what seems to matter most is technological progress. However, increasing returns to scale do gain importance over time and suggest that the growth bonus from labour reallocation might be overestimated in a context with presence of unemployment.

This paper focuses on the estimation of the importance of the precautionary motive in the wealth accumulation decision. We use a micro dataset containing information on wealth, a subjective measure of income uncertainty and subjective indicators of risk aversion. The latter makes us possible to account for the fact that more risk averse individuals may select themselves into less risky occupations and, therefore, bias results. Restricting our analysis on male employees heads of households living with partner and children, we find that only a small share of wealth is accumulated for the precautionary motive. Our findings suggest that the more risk averse individuals are those who hold less savings. When heterogeneous risk aversion is not taken into account, estimates do not seem to change significantly.

Political representation in the national assemblies isgeographic and elected representatives care about whogains and who loses in their electoral districts. Since legislators are re-election oriented, theirchances of electoral success are directly associatedwith the net benefits delivered to their constituents. In this perspective, geography is not only the basisfor political organisation and representation, butalso the hallmark of distributive politics. In thiscontext, it is likely that locally elected politiciansand party leaders standing in national elections wouldtend to cooperate in pre-election dates. In thispaper we argue that local administrators have anincentive to manipulate local government outlays inconnection with national election dates to enhance there-election prospects of their national party leaders. In particular, given the matching character ofnational grants with local investment spending, weexpect that in pre-election dates local policy-makerswould be induced to raise investment outlays beyondtheir standard growth rate. This would determineinefficient local public spending as a result of thegeographically-based system of democraticrepresentation. The case study under our investigationis the behaviour of Italian local policy-makers inconnection with national election dates.

This paper proposes a Multivariate-Arch in Mean model to analyze the potential channels through which domestic fiscal and monetary policy as well as changes in the international economic environment may affect interest rate differentials across countries. This technique is illustrated by analyzing the behavior of short-term interest rates in a number of European countries prior to the introduction of the common currency. The key feature of our results is that macroeconomic variables exert both a direct and indirect influence on the short-term interest rate differential. This indirect effect is captured through the conditional volatility of the differential, which is itself a statistically significant determinant of the level of the differential. This relationship is likely to be overlooked by more traditional models that focus solely on the first order moments of the process.

Unemployment differentials in Italy have widened steadily since 1960. Although previous research into the causes of these spatial differences has improved our understanding of why they may occur, there is still much work to be done. This chapter has focused on labour productivity and wage differentials as two of the main driving forces of unemployment differentials over time. To this end, it has proposed a simple model in order to highlight the potential channels through which these variables may influence unemployment, and it has provided empirical evidence in support of this relation. The results of the empirical investigation strongly suggest that both wage and productivity differentials are important factors in explaining the dynamics of unemployment disparities in Italy over the past forty years.

Building on Layard and Jackman's framework, we propose a simple model to analyse the relation between labour productivity and unemployment differentials in Italy and present some panel data evidence to support the theoretical predictions of the model. The empirical analysis strongly suggests that the productivity differential is one of the main factors driving the dynamics of the unemployment differential in Italy.