We apply Feldstein's (1997, 1999) analysis of the interactions between the tax system and inflation to two transition economies: Poland and Ukraine. We find that the taxrelated costs of inflation in these countries are significantly smaller than in mature market economies. Our analysis points...

This paper contributes to the debate on the effect of capital requirements on bank efficiency. We study the relation between capital ratio and bank efficiency for Chinese banks over the period 2004-2009, taking advantage of the profound regulatory changes in capital requirements that occurred...

This paper addresses the relationship between bank competition and efficiency by computing Lerner indices and cost efficiency scores for a sample of Chinese banks over the period 2002-2011. Granger-causality tests are performed in a dynamic GMM panel estimator framework to evaluate the sign and...

The paper analyzes the experiences and developments of Hungarian banking sector during the transitional process from a centralized economy to a market-oriented system. The paper identifies that early reorganization initiatives, flexible approaches to privatization, and liberal policies towards...

This paper tests whether corruption may act as an efficient grease for the wheels of an oth-erwise deficient institutional framework. We analyze the interaction between aggregate efficiency, corruption, and other dimensions of governance for a panel of 54 developed and developing countries....

This paper investigates the effects of focus versus diversification on bank performance using data on Chinese banks during the 1996-2006 period. We construct a new measure, economies of diversification, and compare the results to those of the more conventional focus indices, which are based on...

We study three aspects of the Russian stock market – factors influencing stock returns, integration of the stock market with world .financial markets, and market efficiency – from 1995 to present, putting emphasis on how these evolved over time. We .find many highly unstable relationships,...