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Incompatible European Partners? Cultural Predispositions and Household Financial Behavior

Author

Listed:
  • Haliassos, Michael

    (Goethe University Frankfurt)

  • Jansson, Thomas

    (Research Department, Central Bank of Sweden)

  • Karabulut, Yigitcan

    (Goethe University Frankfurt)

Abstract

The Eurozone fiscal crisis has created pressure for institutional harmonization, but skeptics argue that cultural predispositions can prevent convergence in behavior. Our paper derives a robust cultural classification of European countries and utilizes unique data on natives and immigrants. Classification based on genetic distance or on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions fails to identify a single ‘southern’ culture but points to a ‘northern’ culture. Our findings support the relevance of cultural predispositions for financial behavior; and convergence of behavior over time in the face of common institutions, even for countries with great cultural distance from the country that created those institutions.

Suggested Citation

  • Haliassos, Michael & Jansson, Thomas & Karabulut, Yigitcan, 2014. "Incompatible European Partners? Cultural Predispositions and Household Financial Behavior," Working Paper Series 285, Sveriges Riksbank (Central Bank of Sweden), revised 01 Jan 2015.
  • Handle: RePEc:hhs:rbnkwp:0285
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    3. Cristian Badarinza & John Y. Campbell & Tarun Ramadorai, 2016. "International Comparative Household Finance," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 8(1), pages 111-144, October.
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    7. Nicola Fuchs‐Schündeln & Paolo Masella & Hannah Paule‐Paludkiewicz, 2020. "Cultural Determinants of Household Saving Behavior," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 52(5), pages 1035-1070, August.
    8. Stefanie J. Huber & Tobias Schmidt, 2016. "Cross-Country Differences in Homeownership: A Cultural Phenomenon?," ERES eres2016_47, European Real Estate Society (ERES).
    9. Anna Magdalena Korzeniowska, 2021. "Heterogeneity of government social spending in European Union countries," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 1-9, December.
    10. Michael Haliassos & Thomas Jansson & Yigitcan Karabulut, 2017. "Incompatible European Partners? Cultural Predispositions and Household Financial Behavior," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 63(11), pages 3780-3808, November.
    11. Girshina, Anastasia & Mathä, Thomas Y. & Ziegelmeyer, Michael, 2019. "Peer effects in stock market participation: evidence from immigration," Working Paper Series 2340, European Central Bank.
    12. Kenneth De Beckker & Kristof De Witte & Geert Van Campenhout, 2020. "The role of national culture in financial literacy: Cross‐country evidence," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(3), pages 912-930, September.
    13. Luik, Marc-André & Steinhardt, Max Friedrich, 2016. "Immigrant-native differences in stockholding – The role of cognitive and non-cognitive skills," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 38(PA), pages 103-119.
    14. Francisco Gomes & Michael Haliassos & Tarun Ramadorai, 2021. "Household Finance," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 59(3), pages 919-1000, September.
    15. Huber, Stefanie J. & Schmidt, Tobias, 2022. "Nevertheless, they persist: Cross-country differences in homeownership behavior," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    16. Katherine Hoffmann Pham & Junpei Komiyama, 2022. "Strategic Choices of Migrants and Smugglers in the Central Mediterranean Sea," Papers 2207.04480, arXiv.org.
    17. Chaliasos, Michael & Jansson, Thomas & Karabulut, Yigitcan, 2018. "Financial literacy externalities," IMFS Working Paper Series 127, Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute for Monetary and Financial Stability (IMFS).
    18. Brown, Martin & Henchoz, Caroline & Spycher, Thomas, 2018. "Culture and financial literacy: Evidence from a within-country language border," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 62-85.
    19. Asgharian, Hossein & Liu, Lu & Lundtofte, Frederik, 2014. "Institutional Quality, Trust and Stock-Market Participation: Learning to Forget," Working Papers 2014:39, Lund University, Department of Economics.
    20. Davoli, Maddalena & Rodríguez-Planas, Núria, 2020. "Culture and adult financial literacy: Evidence from the United States," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    21. Florentsen, Bjarne & Nielsson, Ulf & Raahauge, Peter & Rangvid, Jesper, 2020. "Turning local: Home-bias dynamics of relocating foreigners," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 436-452.
    22. Dossche, Maarten & Kolndrekaj, Aleksandra & Propst, Maximilian & Ramos Perez, Javier & Slacalek, Jiri, 2022. "Immigrants and the distribution of income and wealth in the euro area: first facts and implications for monetary policy," Working Paper Series 2719, European Central Bank.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Household Portfolios; Household Finance; Cultural Influences on Economic Behavior;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions

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