In most countries, the central bank is required to hold reserve assets as a means of providing credibility for the value of the fiat currency. These assets can be in the form of gold, foreign exchange or some other internationally recognised reserve asset and are held to permit the country to...

Firms around the globe have enhanced their green credentials as a means of increasing competitiveness and improving firm performance. The literature on firms and news suggests that stock prices of most firms tends to be very responsive to news items in the short-term. However, many green...

Firm liquidity can be particularly important for firms that are not able to access capital from traditional financial institutions. The current study estimates a dynamic model of firm growth in Barbados, using data on companies listed on the Barbados Stock Exchange between 1997 and 2007 to...

Economic theory posits that in a fixed exchange rate regime with unrestricted capital flows, domestic interest rates must track closely those of the country to which the currency is pegged. This paper empirically tests this theory by investigating the sensitivity of interest rates in the Eastern...

This paper investigates the determinants of job losses due to the COVID-19 in the small island developing states of the Caribbean. Utilising a survey of 1979 firms in the Caribbean and a probit regression model, the study identifies the key factors that might lead a firm to retrench staff. Two...

To date, very little is known about the characteristics of jobs in the green industry and by extension, the labour force effects that can emerge or change as a result of transitioning towards a greener economy. This paper seeks to fill this gap by investigating the potential wage impacts of a...

Between 1990 and 1994, the average size of the public sector in the Caribbean was just 16 percent of GDP, in the five years hence, the ratio has climbed and currently stands at 22 percent of GDP. While an expansion in the size of government usually results in the greater provision of services,...

Between 1990 and 1994, the average size of the public sector in the Caribbean was just 16 percent of GDP, in the five years hence, the ratio has climbed and currently stands at 22 percent of GDP. While an expansion in the size of government usually results in the greater provision of services,...