Factors that influence the financial literacy of young Spanish consumers

This study examines the development of mathematical and financial literacy skills amongst 471 students in Spain. Most studies on this topic have looked at either one or the other skill but they have not examined the relationship between the two.  The use of simultaneous equations has enabled us to do so. The aim of the paper is to disentangle the factors determining the financial skills of young consumers in Spain. To do this, the PISA Financial Literacy Assessment conducted by the OECD in 2012 is used. Our paper’s main contribution lies in the methodological way to deal with the empirical challenges overshadowing our study. Particularly, our methodological strategy is defined by the application of a multi‐level model of simultaneous equations (MSiEM). This method allows us to take into account the simultaneous determination of math and financial skills at school and the nested structure of the database. This MSiEM permits the identification of the determinants of financial skills, differentiating between the influences operating at school level from those at student level. A first conclusion is that the development of financial abilities of young consumers is mediated by their mathematical skills. A second conclusion, in accordance with those of other international studies, is the importance of the family on the financial literacy of 15‐year‐old Spanish students. The family, a first‐order determinant in reading, science and math scores, is also a key variable in the development of financial skills. Finally, school type (public vs. private) does not display any effect on either the financial or math performance of Spanish young people.     

Do we need deeper trade agreements for GVCs or just a BIT?

The paper investigates two policies geared towards stimulating and shaping global value chains (GVCs), namely deep regional trade agreements (DRTAs) and bilateral investment treaties (BITs). In an augmented gravity model, we test the impact of both policies on a variety of trade in value added indicators. We find that both policies are likely to increase GVC trade, although their transmission channels differ. While backward linkages are stimulated through both BITs and DRTAs, forward linkages respond only to DRTAs. The estimates suggest that negotiating a DRTA with investment provisions has a higher impact on trade in value added than signing a shallow RTA and a separate BIT.     

Instrumental variables and wavelet decompositions

The application of wavelet analysis provides an orthogonal decomposition of a time series by time scale, thereby facilitating the decomposition of a data series into the sum of a structural component and a random error component. The structural components revealed by the wavelet analysis yield nearly ideal instrumental variables for variables observed with error and for co-endogenous variables in simultaneous equation models. Wavelets also provide an efficient way to explore the path of the structural component of the series to be analyzed and can be used to detect some specification errors. The methodology described in this paper is applied to the errors in variables problem and simultaneous equations case using some simulation exercises and to the analysis of a version of the Phillips curve with interesting results.     

A panel cointegration approach to estimating substitution elasticities in consumption

This paper investigates the relationship between government spending and private consumption. The general framework is a cointegration approach of Ogaki (1992) used to estimate the intratemporal elasticity of substitution between government and private consumption in a panel of 15 European countries. Recently developed non-stationary panel methodologies that assume cross-section dependence are applied. Results indicate an Edgeworth substitutability between private and public spending.     

Economic Integration and FDI: An Empirical Analysis of Foreign Investment in the EU and in Central and Eastern Europe

Recent evidence suggests that regional economic integration provides an important stimulus not only to trade, but also to FDI. In contrast, the available theory on FDI does not yet provide empirically testable propositions on the effects of concurrent trade and investment liberalisation. Moreover, given the limits of simulation models, which rely heavily upon parameter choice, in assessing the impact of such liberalisation, there is a need for empirical analysis to identify the principal features of FDI. This paper uses a gravity model approach to assess the impact of the deepening integration between the EU and the CEECs on FDI flows in terms of three key issues. First, we provide systematic estimates of the expected long-term level of FDI in the CEECs. Second, we investigate whether FDI in the CEECs, on the one hand, and source country exports and imports, on the other hand, are complements or substitutes. Finally, we enquire whether an increase in the attractiveness of the CEECs to foreign investors has affected the magnitude of FDI going to other European countries.     

Banking on Gambling: Banks and Lottery-Linked Deposit Accounts

Deposit accounts that provide an interest return determined by a lottery have proved to be popular around the world. From the point of view of a bank, these products are especially successful among relatively low-income customers, or in markets in which many people are outside the banking system. Below, we describe numerous examples of such accounts, and analyze their economics.     

Pricing growth-indexed bonds

Growth-indexed bonds have been suggested as a way of reducing the procyclicality of emerging-market countries’ fiscal policies and the likelihood of costly debt crises. Investor attitude surveys suggest that pricing difficulties are seen as a considerable obstacle. In an effort to reduce such concerns, this article presents a simple way of pricing growth-indexed bonds. As a pleasant by-product, the analysis tracks the quantitative implications of an increase in the share of growth-indexed bonds in total debt, measuring the ensuing decline in the probability of default and the reduction in the spreads at which standard bonds can be issued.