To what extent individual choices are influenced by media exposure? We try to provide evidence on this aspect considering how the sales of lotto tickets are determined by the size of the top prize (the jackpot) compared to the amount of attention that media devote to the game. We use data on the...

To what extent individual choices are influenced by media exposure? We try to provide evidence on this issue considering how the sales of lotto tickets are determined by the size of the top prize (the jackpot) compared to the amount of attention that media devote to the game. We use data on the...

Promoting sustainable consumption and production are important aspects of sustainable development. Agenda 21, endorsed by the United Nations Conference on Economic Development (UNCED) in 1992, identified unsustainable consumption and production patterns, particularly in industrialised countries,...

The corona virus pandemic has dramatically changed the economic outlook for the United States and many other countries. In June this year, the Federal Reserve published its unemployment predictions. From a July 2020 level of 10.2%, it expects the year-end ratio to drop to 9.3%; by the end of...

In the financial accounts as collected by the U.S. Federal Reserve, one Balance Sheet item stands out: “The Household Balance Sheet over the period 2000-2020”. In Q4 2005, the market value of households’ real estate assets was $14.416 trillion. By Q4 2011 the market value had dropped to...

In a recent paper: “U.S. households’ balance sheet and the link to economic policies” (MPRA Paper 104369), it was illustrated that the Great Recession of 2008 and beyond caused a loss in home equity of $6.1 trillion between Q4 2005 and Q4 2011. It took households until Q2 2016 before the...

In this paper we analyzed a model of endogenous fertility in presence of financial market assets and social security pensions. Given the children externality and in the absence of corrective policy, the fertility rate chosen in market economy is too low. Indeed, in his optimal choice of family...

The Eurozone countries share a common currency: the Euro operated and managed by the European Central Bank (ECB). The implications are that savings and wealth levels are also denominated in the same currency. Does this mean that wealth factors like home equity and pension savings can be...