Leo Van Hove

Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Applied Economics, Faculty Member

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Karim Chouaten

University of Amsterdam

University of Rome Tor Vergata

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Kireshma Ragesh

Monash University

eirini chatzikoumi

Universidad de las Americas Santiago Chile

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Papers by Leo Van Hove

Quantifying the economic value of customers' social networks: does Metcalfe's law apply?

Frontiers in communication, Apr 8, 2024

A recent article tries to improve upon the extant Customer Lifetime Value models by incorporating... more A recent article tries to improve upon the extant Customer Lifetime Value models by incorporating more of the information that companies have on their customers, including the size of their social networks. The present note argues that, in doing so, the authors mistakenly invoke Metcalfe's law and should rather have opted for Sarnoff 's law.

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Overcoming the Homer Simpson in us - How to create a 'less-cash' society

The prompt payment code: an academic perspective

REVIEW: Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems (CPSS), Survey of Electronic Money Developments, Bank for International Settlements, Basel, Switzerland, november 2001

De Belgische consumenten over elektronisch betalen

Eindrapport, Banksys, 2004, 2004

We need a roadmap for the cashless society

When will electronic money be made legal tender? keynote speaker

Finds and Results from the Swedish Cyprus Expedition: A Gender Perspective at the Medelhavsmuseet, 2004

Phasing out the euro

eCRM can be bad for you and your company

Selection and hidden bias in cross-border bank acquisitions: Ukraine's takeover wave

We investigate the impact of cross-border takeovers on the performance of target banks in Ukraine... more We investigate the impact of cross-border takeovers on the performance of target banks in Ukraine. We combine propensity score matching and a difference-in-difference methodology, checking for temporary unobservables. Acquirers mainly targeted large less-capitalised banks with average efficiency and profitability. After takeover, the cost efficiency of the acquired banks improved thanks to a decreased reliance on deposits but this did not result in higher profitability or higher loan market shares. Overall, our findings only tally piecemeal with the existing multi-country studies for transition economies.

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Regulating in the dark

On the Socially Optimal Density of Coin and Banknote Series: Do Production Costs Really Matter?

Social Science Research Network, Jun 1, 2017

By adding denominations to their coin and banknote series central banks can increase the efficien... more By adding denominations to their coin and banknote series central banks can increase the efficiency of cash payments. In practice, however, they opt for a denominational structure with a relatively low density. The literature holds that this is because of the production costs involved. To test this proposition, we introduce a per-denomination fixed cost into the matching model of Lee et al. (2005) and parameterize the model with data on the production of US dollar banknotes. Our simulations demonstrate that central banks could increase the density of their currency systems beyond the observed level without the efficiency gains for transactors being dwarfed by the additional production costs for the central bank itself. This suggests that the explanation for the low density rather lies with costs incurred by consumers and merchants-and anticipated by central banks-that are not yet in any of the extant models.

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Triggered or Consciously Evaluated? A Qualitative Inquiry Into the Decision to Start Using E-Grocery Services

Social Science Research Network, 2020

Concurrentie en prijszetting in de betaalmarkt

National culture and financial literacy: international evidence

Applied Economics, 2019

We examine to what extent (aspects of) national culture can explain crosscountry variations in fi... more We examine to what extent (aspects of) national culture can explain crosscountry variations in financial literacy. Our results, for a sample of 92 countries, show that Hofstede's dimensions of power distance and individualism explain, respectively, over 40 and 60 per centwhich is substantially more than national cognitive scores and standard economic variables. In particular, we find that financial literacy is lower in countries where power distance is high, and that the opposite is true for individualism. Uncertainty avoidance would seem be negatively related with financial literacy, but the evidence is not so strong. For masculinity, indulgence, and long-term orientation we find no significant impact. Overall, our results highlight the need for additional (interdisciplinary) theories that can improve our understanding of the determinants of financial literacy and better guide policies in this area.

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European electronic purses: a progress report

Mobile wallets and consumer spending in Singapore: Agarwal et al. revisited

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2021

Agarwal et al. ( 2019 ). Mobile wallet and entrepreneurial growth. AEA Papers and Proceedings, 10... more Agarwal et al. ( 2019 ). Mobile wallet and entrepreneurial growth. AEA Papers and Proceedings, 109, 48–53 analyze the impact of the introduction of quick response (QR) codes for mobile payments in Singapore. They find that this not only resulted in a significant increase in the use of mobile wallets, but that there was also a positive spillover effect on debit and credit card payments — in particular at small and new businesses. This note argues that the increase in card sales cannot have been driven by the QR code technology. I also proffer an alternative explanation, namely, that Agarwal et al. simply capture the concurrent increase in popularity of contactless cards.

The role of financial innovations in consumer behaviour in the Russian retail payments market: A comment on Krivosheya

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2021

An injury is defined as any physical damage to the body resulting from exposure to thermal, mecha... more An injury is defined as any physical damage to the body resulting from exposure to thermal, mechanical, electrical or chemical energy in amounts that exceed human physiological threshold hence causing disturbance to normal body (Baker et al, 2013). Home injuries are a leading cause of death with more than 5 million deaths reported each year worldwide and over 950,000 children under the age of 18 die due to injury and violence (WHO, 2014).90% of these deaths result from unintentional injuries. In Kenya, injuries among children contribute a significant burden of disease measured as years of life lost (YLL) due to premature death and is ranked second cause of death among children. Injuries are reported to be the eighth cause of mortality in Kenya (KDHS, 2018). The age and gender of the child are important demographic factors in relation to injuries. Children between the age of 0-12 years are in a stage of development usually characterized by activeness in physical activities as they play in the playgrounds, school or at home. Such children indulge in risky activities which predispose them to such injuries as burns, fractures, dislocations, cuts, and falls. Some of the predisposing factors include the types of games they play, the responsibilities they are assigned and the physical environment they live in (Grundy and Annear, 2014). Globally, drowning, burns, falls and poisoning account as the highest cause of mortality among children (Bener, 2015). The number of children injured or disabled each year at home is not precisely known, but has been estimated at around 10 million (Bener, 2015). In the USA, injuries are the leading cause of death for children 1-17 years old (Nixon et al., 2014). Currently, there is very limited data in terms of epidemiology of home injuries among children, especially on prevalence. This gap has limited Public health interventions and measures needed to be taken to prevent home injuries among children. Therefore, there is need to unveil the data on prevalence of home injuries so as to improve caregiving behaviors of caregivers and also improve the quality of life of the children. 2. Materials and Methods A cross-sectional study design was used to collect data on home injuries among children. The respondents comprised the caregivers of the children in Kaptembwa, Nakuru County, Kenya. Caregivers above eighteen years of age were eligible as participants and got sampled from their households. Nakuru County was randomly selected among all the forty-seven Counties in Kenya. Kaptembwa was then purposely selected due its nature of being an informal settlement

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Do red prices also work online?: An extension of Puccinelli et al. (2013)

Color Research & Application, 2017

In a recent article, Puccinelli et al. examine the effect of the color in which prices appear in ... more In a recent article, Puccinelli et al. examine the effect of the color in which prices appear in print flyers on consumers' perceived savings. Puccinelli et al. find that the effect is moderated by gender: unlike female consumers, men think they are being offered a better deal when prices are presented in red than when they are presented in black. The advertisements with prices in red also put men in a more positive state. This note replicates Puccinelli et al.'s main experiment in a different context (online vs. print) and in a different cultural setting (Belgium vs. the USA). In line with Puccinelli et al., we find that men perceive the online store with red prices as offering better value. But, intriguingly, it does not appear to make men feel more positively. One possible explanation is that red prices work differently online.

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Consumer characteristics and e-grocery services: the primacy of the primary shopper

Electronic Commerce Research

The literature does not agree on the precise role of socio-demographic characteristics in the ado... more The literature does not agree on the precise role of socio-demographic characteristics in the adoption of online grocery shopping. This methodological note reviews the literature and shows that the differences in empirical results can to a large extent be explained by the data that is used. In particular, what matters is whether or not the survey that is exploited was targeted at the household member primarily responsible for the grocery shopping. I show that studies that use a non-targeted survey erroneously find that women are keener to adopt e-grocery services, in that the gender gap is simply due to women's role as homemakers. I also show that such studies tend to underestimate the impact of education and income.

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Quantifying the economic value of customers' social networks: does Metcalfe's law apply?

Frontiers in communication, Apr 8, 2024

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Overcoming the Homer Simpson in us - How to create a 'less-cash' society