The credit crisis that developed as a result of the problems in the US sub-prime mortgage market has consequences for the future shape of regulation of the fund management industry. The author examines the exposed agency problems, poor risk management, and the lack of liquidity in many fund...

We estimate the impact of trade liberalization and physical and human capital accumulation on Iran’s economic growth during the period 1959−2007. Using co-integration techniques and a vector error correction model, we find a unique long-run relationship between economic growth and its major...

Despite widespread privatizations over the last three decades, public enterprises, as production units under government control, are still present in several countries and sectors. While the academic and political debate on the costs and benefits of privatization is vast, a focus on the...

This paper adds to the literature on the government-corruption nexus by examining the effects of taxation and various business regulations on cross-country corruption. Regulations considered include the number of procedures and related costs for business startup, licensing and property...

A financial instrument to improve the credit worthiness of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), i.e. Jointly Issued Notes (JINs), improves the average credit rating of SMEs by eight notches, from BBB to AA+, thus reducing borrowing cost by 298 basis points. This research note describes the...

We evaluate China’s neutralization policy by monthly estimations based on the central bank balance sheet from 1999:6 to 2011:6. Our results suggest that China effectively neutralizes 66% of the change of net foreign assets under a pegged currency regime. Consequently, a purchase of one yuan of...

This paper investigates whether financial deregulation causes economic growth through financial development. Financial development is measured by two channels: (1) changes in the allocation of credit across sectors, and (2) changes in savings and investment rates. We measure financial...

As urban private capital enters the modern agriculture industry, it divides the agricultural sector into the modern sector and the traditional sector. This article establishes a general equilibrium model to study the economic impact of governmental policies aimed at promoting modern agriculture....

Does taxation promote democracy? Revisiting this question, I hypothesize that the effects of taxation on democracy tend to be relatively stronger in unequal societies because higher income inequality can amplify the extent to which citizens dissatisfied with higher levels of taxation want to...