This paper questions the widespead practice of assessing the hypothesis of long-run fiscal policy sustainability by means of conventional unit-root tests that do not allow for the possible impact of regime shifts. Using the Greek economy as a model case, the Zivot- Andrews squential...

This paper analyzes the dynamics of firms' credit ratings, in the context of a multi-period moral hazard problem, in which borrowers have incentives to repudiate their debt obligations. Borrowers with short credit histories face the poorest incentives, and (depending on initial conditions) for...

This paper formulates a new theory of financial intermediation and explains the general structure of credit markets. Borrowers without established credit histories have incentives to repudiate their debt obligations, and are therefore unable to issue debt directly. Banks exist in order to...