The thoroughly revised second edition of this authoritative Handbook, complete with new chapters, comprehensively examines the current status and future directions of model-based systems in decision support and their application to sustainable development planning.

This paper focuses on the explanatory power of world influences, regional effects and political risk indices on the equity market returns for a selection of Asia Pacific countries. The results support the notion that emerging equity market returns are driven by both regional and global factors....

This paper examines the trend towards regionalism upon stock market returns in Latin America. Average correlations with other countries in the region and with the world suggest that the Latin American stock markets have become more regionally integrated over the study period. This finding...

This study examines the relationship between financial market segmentation and political risk. Financial economists have attributed market segmentation to factors such as foreign exchange risk, taxes, tariffs and capital controls whereas the influence of political risk has been largely ignored....

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of sovereign rating changes on international financial markets using a comprehensive database of 42 countries, covering the major regions in the world over the period 1995-2003. In general, we find that rating agencies provide stock and foreign...