Analyses personal debt and the over-indebtedness of consumers in the European Union from the multi-disciplinary perspectives of economics, policy, and law.

This book analyses the dichotomy between the goal of social inclusion and the effect of social exclusion through over-indebtedness since 2008 in Europe. Filling a vital gap in the current literature on the effects of the financial and economic crisis, this volume puts into context academic discussion with the real-life dimension of over-indebtedness. Reports from six European countries provide socio-economic and legal information on over-indebtedness as well as the regulatory and judicial responses to the problems entailed by over-indebtedness. They form the empirical background for five analyses of different aspects of the inclusion-exclusion dichotomy. It becomes clear that in the context of credit expansion, individual over-indebtedness has turned into a social issue, which the current design of the consumer credit and mortgage system in Europe has helped to produce while disregarding the consequential danger of social exclusion.

Successful containment of COVID-19 and strong policy support have helped contain the health and economic fallout, and a strong recovery is underway. Growth in 2020 reached 2.9 percent, among the highest in the world. However, labor market conditions remain weak. Corporate balance sheets have worsened, potentially hampering private investment and job prospects. Banks entered the crisis in a stronger position than in previous years, but weaknesses remain. Vietnam’s economy remains heavily reliant on external trade and is vulnerable to trade tensions.

This book explores the political, economic and regulatory context in which credit regulation is taking place following the global financial crisis. It suggests that current neoliberal economic policies favour multi-national corporations rather than consumers and examines regulatory responses to the internationalization of consumer finance protection. Detailing how EU consumers have been affected by national economic conditions, the book also analyses the lending regimes of Europe, Australia, the US and South Africa and offers suggestions for responsible lending to avoid over-indebtedness and corrupt mortgage-lending. Finally, new approaches and directions for consumer credit regulations are outlined, such as protection for small businesses, protection against risky credit products, reorganization of mortgage securitization and the possibility of a partnership model to address financial exclusion. The book includes contributions from leading names in the field of consumer law and will be invaluable to those interested in banking, business and commercial law.

By proposing questions in ten policy areas, the Policy Framework for Investment in Agriculture supports host countries in evaluating and designing policies to mobilise private investment in agriculture.

The macroprudential policy framework in Spain has been significantly reinforced in recent years. A new macroprudential authority, Macroprudential Authority Financial Stability Council, (AMCESFI), has been established in Spain, to provide high level oversight and to strengthen internal coordination on the identification, prevention, and mitigation of systemic risks in the financial system. Techniques and approaches for systemic risk identification have been further enhanced. And gaps in the macroprudential policy toolkit identified by the previous FSAP have been closed, although to date the new tools have not been applied given the assessment of risks. The framework incorporates many areas of strength by international standards, such as the techniques for systemic risk identification and the breadth of permissible macroprudential tools.

This technical note examines the macroprudential policy framework in the Czech Republic. The Czech National Bank (CNB) has been actively developing its macroprudential policy framework for some time, including most recently the establishment of a separate Financial Stability Department. The authorities’ first line of defense against threats to financial stability has been sound macroeconomic policies. The Czech financial system overall appears stable. Stress tests indicate that banks would have sufficient capital and liquidity buffers to withstand a double-dip recession.

Eswatini is at an important juncture as the authorities seek to address long-standing macroeconomic challenges in a shock-prone environment. While Eswatini has endured the pandemic and successive shocks from international commodity prices, fiscal and external buffers are low. Addressing long-standing macroeconomic imbalances—stemming mainly from fiscal overruns—remains a critical priority. Government efforts in this area have already begun but will need to be sustained over the medium-term. In tandem, shifting from a state-led to a private sector and export-led growth model will be essential to achieve higher and sustained levels of inclusive growth necessary for poverty reduction. Focused efforts to address the underlying causes of recent civil unrest, together with concerted efforts to tackle gaps in governance, are also needed.

This Selected Issues paper focuses on the drivers, implications and outlook for China’s shrinking current account surplus. Although cyclical factors helped in 2018, the trend decline has been largely structural, driven by rebalancing, appreciation of the real effective exchange rate toward equilibrium, increase in outbound tourism, and moderation in goods surplus reflecting market saturation and China’s faster growth compared with trading partners. Policies should focus on continued rebalancing and opening to ensure excessive surpluses do not return; and to prepare the economy and the financial system to handle more volatile capital flows. From a global perspective, the decline in China’s surplus has lowered global imbalances, with different impact across countries, with the trade balances of Korea, Germany, Brazil improving vis-à-vis China, while that of Japan, India, and Indonesia deteriorating. Further declines in the current account surplus will reduce excess global imbalances—a positive development for global stability.