Non-equity financial markets used to be ‘hidden’ in Europe, in the sense that relative to their size, they traditionally received less attention from ordinary investors and the media than equity markets. This phenomenon was accentuated by the fact that the Financial Services Action Plan was...

After the adoption of the EU pension funds directive, the regulatory framework for asset management in the EU is complete. The single licence and home country control will now be applicable across the board for the different lines of asset management business. However, considering that asset...

There have been only a small number of empirical studies assessing the determinants of economic institutions despite the development of several notable theories regarding their origins and their impact on economic development. In this article, we identify the key determinants of economic...

The purpose of the architecture of software systems in business organizations is to support those organizations in achieving business goals. In software development organizations the design of an architecture is a collective effort that involves various organizational stakeholders and designers,...

This paper explores three areas in which the experience of the Great Depression might be relevant today: monetary policy, fiscal policy and the systemic stability of the banking system. We confirm the consensus on monetary policy: deflation must be avoided. With regard to fiscal policy, the...

This report considers four short-term, alternative scenarios for the eurozone and analyses their possible implications for global economic trends and the gold market. Overall, the main findings suggest that in the near future, motives other than inflation hedging will be the main drivers of gold...

In March 2000 in Lisbon, EU heads of state and government set the strategic goal to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion. These goals were confirmed at the...

This paper proposes a two-step, market-based approach to debt reduction: · Step 1. The European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) would offer holders of debt of the countries with an EFSF programme (probably Greece, Ireland and Portugal = GIP) an exchange into EFSF paper at the market price...

In March 2000 in Lisbon, EU heads of state and government set the strategic goal to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion. These goals were confirmed at the...

This paper proposes a two-step, market-based approach to debt reduction: · Step 1. The European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) would offer holders of debt of the countries with an EFSF programme (probably Greece, Ireland and Portugal = GIP) an exchange into EFSF paper at the market price...