The existence of significant differences in the organization of the US and European financial markets prompts a number of important questions. By exploring the differences between the financial markets in the US and Europe this book helps the reader assess the role of financial markets in securing investment and growth.

Contents: Asset valuation, liquidity issues, and growth regimes, Jean-Paul Fitoussi and Jean-Luc Gaffard; Factor saving innovation, Michele Boldrin and David K. Levine; ICT 'Bottlenecks' and the wealth of nations: a contribution to the empirics of economic growth, Leonardo Becchetti and Fabrizio Adriani; Growth and finance: what do we know and how do we know it?, Paul Wachtel; Globalization, the new economy and growth in the leading industrial countries, Dominick Salvatore; Finance, technology and risk, Luigi Paganetto and Pasquale Lucio Scandizzo; Capital market imperfections, high-tech investment and new equity financing, Robert E. Carpenter and Bruce C. Petersen; Inside the 'Magic Box': the internet and the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises, Giovanni Ferri, Marzio Galeotti and Ottavio Ricchi; Index.