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Households' indebtedness and financial fragility

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  • Tullio Jappelli
  • Marco Pagano
  • Marco Di Maggio

Abstract

The paper studies the determinants of international differences in household indebtedness, and inquires whether indebtedness is associated with increased "financial fragility", as measured by the sensitivity of household arrears and insolvencies to macroeconomic shocks. It also investigates whether financial fragility is affected by institutional factors, such as information sharing arrangements, judicial efficiency and individual bankruptcy regulation. We address these issues by tapping three data sets: (i) cross-country data on household indebtedness; (ii) European panel data for household lending and arrears; and (iii) time series data for household lending and insolvencies in the U.K., the U.S.A. and Germany. Overall, the analysis underscores the importance of institutional arrangements in determining the size and fragility of household credit markets.

Suggested Citation

  • Tullio Jappelli & Marco Pagano & Marco Di Maggio, 2013. "Households' indebtedness and financial fragility," Journal of Financial Management, Markets and Institutions, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 1, pages 23-46, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:mul:jdp901:doi:10.12831/73631:y:2013:i:1:p:23-46
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Household Debt; Financial Fragility; Arrears; Insolvency; Bankruptcy Law (JEL Codes: D14; G21; G28; G33);
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • G33 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Bankruptcy; Liquidation

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