In Australia, financial hardship caused by over-indebtedness is no longer only experienced by the most vulnerable social group but is now prevalent among the general population. This scoping paper analyses the money advice and debt management system in Australia with emphasis on their...

This scoping paper outlines credit counselling and debt management structures in the United States and their effectiveness in improving consumers' financial management status. First, various public and private credit counselling systems are explained with a focus on each institution's roles and...

In this paper, we examine how US households' access to credit affects their participation in safety-net programs. We examine how participation in the Food Stamp Program (FSP)/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program respond to...

The purpose of this study is to identify the characteristics and long-term outcomes of consumers participating in nonprofit credit counseling, including those who do and do not enroll in debt management plans. We construct a panel dataset of consumers participating in the National Foundation for...

We study the interplay between quality provision and consumer search in a search market where firms may design products of inferior quality to promote them to naive consumers who fail to fully understand product characteristics. We derive an equilibrium in which both superior and inferior...

Eine Stärkung der Sozialen Schuldnerberatung in Deutschland ist sozial und ökonomisch sinnvoll. Mit vier Ansatzpunkten könnte diese Stärkung bewirkt werden. Ob und, wenn ja, welche dieser Ansatzpunkte in den nächsten Jahren realisiert werden können, hängt allerdings wesentlich vom...

In 1992, the United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced new insurance coverage for two preventive services influenza vaccinations and mammograms. Economists typically assume transactions occur with perfect information and foresight. As a test of the value of...

Finanzdienstleistungen werden im Regelfall zwischen Parteien mit einem ungleichen Status abgeschlossen. Diese Ungleichheit resultiert aus der Informationsasymmetrie und der Entscheidungshoheit über die angebotene Produktpalette. Dies beschränkt die Verhandlungsmacht auf Seiten der...

Psychological factors associated with consumer behavior in completing debt management plans (DMPs) in credit counseling were identified. Guided by the theory of planned behavior, the study used a unique data set combining the survey data along with plan completion status data from a sample of...

Consumer search is not only costly but also tiring. We characterize the intertemporal effects that search fatigue has on monopoly and oligopoly prices, the product lines offered by firms, and the provision of consumer assistance (i.e., advice). These effects vary based on whether search is...

Encouraging consumers to seek out and switch to lower-rate mortgages is important both for the individual consumer's finances and for functioning competitive markets, but switching rates are low. We conducted an experiment with mortgage-holders to test whether official advice on how to select...

Encouraging consumers to seek out and switch to lower-rate mortgages is important both for the individual consumer's finances and for functioning competitive markets, but switching rates are low. We conducted an experiment with mortgage-holders to test whether official advice on how to select...

Die Verlängerung der Produktnutzungs- und -lebensdauer ist ein zentrales Ziel der Produktpolitik. Zur Umsetzung dieses Zieles bedarf es auch dem Wissen und der Mitarbeit der Verbraucherinnen und Verbraucher. Im Rahmen des Vorhabens wurden verschiedene Formate zur Verbrauchersensibilisierung...

We study demand for advice within defined contribution retirement plans offered by 23 institutions where TIAA is sole recordkeeper. Advice seeking increases with age, account balance, annual contribution level, web access, and changes in marital status. More provocatively, participants who...

1. In search of (access to) justice for vulnerable consumers \ Christine Riefa and Séverine Saintier -- 2. Economic theory and consumer vulnerability: Exploring an uneasy relationship \ Christine Riefa and Harriet Gamper -- 3. A Universal Perspective on vulnerability: International Definitions...

In this article, we examine several emerging consumer trends and anticipate their implications for the future of the consumerism movement. We identify, discuss, and exemplify the reasons why a growing minority of consumers are resenting, and at times opposing current regulation and/or marketing...

This paper describes the Consumer Movement landscape in China, especially explains why consumer protection level is not match to the economic development of the country. Most activity on behalf of consumers in China cannot be described as “activism”. Rather, the government dominates consumer...

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 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...

Customers often receive expert advice related to their health, finances, taxes or legal procedures, to name just a few. A noble stance taken by some is that experts should empower customers to make their own decisions. In this article, we distinguish informational from decisional empowerment and...

Imperfect information and inattention to energy costs are important potential justifications for energy efficiency standards and subsidies. We evaluate these policies in the lightbulb market using a theoretical model and two randomized experiments. We derive welfare effects as functions of...

Imperfect information and inattention to energy costs are important potential justifications for energy efficiency standards and subsidies. We evaluate these policies in the lightbulb market using a theoretical model and two randomized experiments. We derive welfare effects as functions of...

Consumer sales law in Australia / Gail Pearson -- Consumer sales law in the European Union / Mateja Durovic -- Consumer sales law in Germany / André Janssen -- Consumer sales law in Hong Kong / Chen Lei and Geraint Howells -- Consumer sales law in people's Republic of China / Shiyuan Han --...

Soziale Schuldnerberatung wird in diesem Buch als Handlungsfeld der Sozialen Arbeit mit Blick auf das soziale Problem Überschuldung einschliesslich zentraler Schuldenarten und präventiver sowie schuldenregulierungsbezogener Handlungsansätze dargestellt. Ein weiterer Schwerpunkt sind...

This paper compares the relative impact of two road safety interventions in the Kenyan minibus or matatu sector: a top down set of regulatory requirements known as the Michuki Rules and a consumer empowerment intervention. We use very detailed insurance claims data on three classes of vehicles...

Consumer search is not only costly but also tiring. We characterize the intertemporal effects that search fatigue has on oligopoly prices, product proliferation, and the provision of consumer assistance (i.e., advice). These effects vary based on whether search is all-or-nothing or sequential in...