Research

To fight Over-indebtedness, we need knowledge about both problems and solutions! All research is important for us to ensure that we have all available knowledge and thus ensuring that everything we do and recommend is based on undisputed facts. The ECDN does not itself publish any reports, but many of our member organisations do publish reports detailing the state of debt, debt advice and creditor practice across Europe. We publish these reports here to give you all easy access to important knowledge regarding debt across Europe.

Below you can find research articles / reports made by our own members and other people in the field.

Research about national and European debt situations is essential to understand challenges and find solutions. They also contribute to the overall information level within the ECDN, the financial sector, and the social sector in general, and help to improve our knowledge on relevant topics. The ECDN sometimes publishes reports, as well as many of our member organisations do publish reports detailing the state of debt, debt advice, and creditor practice across Europe. We aim to publish these reports here to give you all easy access to important knowledge regarding debt across Europe. 

We find knowledge sharing to be important for gaining greater insight and understanding of current debt situations, challenges and solutions. This is of fundamental importance if we want to stay updated and achieve our goals of fighting over-indebtedness and improving financial literacy. We encourage all our members and others working in this area to share relevant information and new reports with each other to improve the overall information level within the field. Here you can find relevant reports about debt. The reports are divided into categories depending on where they were published.

Pernilla Liedgren, Christian Kullberg, Julia Callegari – Mercy, Mercy Me: – counterstories in applications for debt reconstruction – Nordic Social Work Research, ISSN 2156-857X, E-ISSN 2156-8588, Vol. 13, no 3, p. 472-485
https://mdh.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?dswid=6130&pid=diva2%3A1638246

Financial Services User Group (FSUG) Opinion Paper on Personal Insolvency (2023)
https://finance.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-09/fsug-opinions-230911-personal-insolvency_en.pdf

Natalia Ingrid Font Gorgorio. El sobreendeudamiento del consumidor: prevención y reacción en el ordenamiento espanol (2023): https://www.tdx.cat/bitstream/handle/10803/688876/Tesi_NataliaIngrid_Font.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y

Sector organisation NVVK and debt rescheduling in the Netherlands

J.-O. Heuer (2021): Rules and norms of consumer insolvency and debt relief: A compasrison and classification of personl bankruptcy systems in 15 economically advanced countries. University of Bremen (Bremen).
https://doi.org/10.26092/elib/454

Ignacio Orrico Sánchez. El sobreendeudamiento familiar y mecanismos de segunda oportunidad (2019): https://riucv.ucv.es/bitstream/handle/20.500.12466/1022/Orrico%20S%C3%A1nchez,%20Ignacio_Tesis%20definitiva.pdf?sequence=1

I. Ramsay (2017): Personal insolvency in the 21st century: A comparative analysis of the US and Europe. Hart Publishing (Oxford)

W. Backert, S. Block-Lieb, J. Niemi (ed.) (2013): Contemporary issues in consumer bankruptcy. Peter Lang (Fankfurt/M)

J.J. Kilburn (2007). Comparative consumer bankruptcy. Carolina Academic Press (Durham N.C.)

J. Niemi-Kiesläinen, I. Ramsay, W.C. Whitford (ed.) (2003): Consumer bankruptcy in global perspective. Hart Publishing (Oxford)

B.E. Adler, B. Polak, A. Schwartz (2000): Regulating consumer bankruptcy: A theoretical inquiry. Journal of legal Studies, 29 (2) 585-613

Dr. Dieter Korczak, Amnesty of Debts: Amicable agreement and statutory solution Synthesis Report. Peer Review in the field of social inclusion policies, The Netherlands 2006

E. Dehon (économiste) et C. Jeanmart (sociologue) – «Où sont les surendettés? Un an après» – Analyse du (non ou faible) recours à la médiation de dettes amiable et judiciaire en Belgique en 2024

Ossavatorio SalvaLaTuaCasa, Italian households between financial awareness and debt situation, March 2024

Fredrik Andersson and Beatriz Pozo Pérez – Over-indebtedness in a high inflation and high interest rate landscape – Explainer – European Credit Research Institute, Centre for European Policy Studies

E. Dehon, économiste, Prévention et traitement du surendettement en Wallonie – RAPPORT D’ÉVALUATION – ANNÉES 2022-2023

Giuseppe Pulina, Consumer debt in Luxembourg and the Euro area: Evidence from the household finance and consumption survey (2023)
https://www.bcl.lu/fr/Recherche/publications/cahiers_etudes/175/BCLWP175.pdf

Study of European consumer over-indebtedness and its implications(2023)
https://commission.europa.eu/publications/study-european-consumers-over-indebtedness-and-its-implications-annexes-final-report_en

E. Dehon (économiste) et C. Jeanmart (sociologue) – «Où sont les surendettés?» – Analyse du faible recours à la médiation de dettes amiable ou judiciaire en période de crise en Belgique, décembre 2022

Stephen E.G. Lea(2021): Debt and Overindebtedness: Psychological Evidence and its Policy Implications. Social Issues and Policy Review. Vol 15. No1.Wiley Online Library. 146-179
https://spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/sipr.12074

Grzegorz Walega, Agniezka Walega (2020). Over-indebted households in Poland: Classification tree analysis. Social Indicators Research:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11205-020-02505-6

Jacqueline Warth et al (2020): Association between over-indebtedness and antidepressant use: A cross-sectional analysis. PLoS One 15 (7)
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0236393

C. Jeanmart, sociologue – Les ménages en situation de surendettement: Profil, endettement et éléments déclencheurs des difficultés financières – (décembre 2019)

Dieter Korczak. Household overindebtedness in Germany. Behavioral, social and socio-economic actors. Europa Regionum 2017

ECB. Unemployment risk and over-indebtedness: https://www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/pdf/scpwps/ecbwp1908.en.pdf

CIVIC Consulting (2013): Over-indebtedness of European households. Updated mapping of the situation, nature and causes, effects and initiatives for alleviating its impact (Final report)
https://civic-consulting.de/reports/Overindebtedness-part_1.pdf

Stefan Angel, Karin Heitzmann. Auslöser, Verläufe und Auswirkungen von Überschuldung in Privathaushalten: https://research.wu.ac.at/ws/portalfiles/portal/19845782/FB_01_2010.pdf

Dr. Dieter Korczak, Überschuldung in Deutschland zwischen 1988 und 1999. Schriftenreihe Band 198. Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend, Stuttgart 2001

G. Betti, N. Dourmashkin, M.C. Rossi, V. Verma, Y. P. Yin (2001): Study of the Problem of Consumer Indebtedness: Statistical Aspects, report to the Commission of the European Communities. Directorate-General for Health and Consumer Protection, Commission of the European Communities. ORC Macro (London)

Luisa Anderloni, Daniela Vandone. Risk of over-indebtedness and behavioural factors.

Dr. Stuart Stamp, Dr. Aoife Foley (2024): FINANCIAL UNWELLNESS, Financial Literacy & Inclusion Among Travellers, National Traveller MABS
https://www.ntmabs.org/images/resources/publications/policy/ntmabs-financial-unwellness.pdf

Elsa Fornero, Anna Lo Prete (2023): Financial education: From better personal finance to improved citizenship
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/36663C80F62A7CA310F017343646D5BB/S2753321223000072a.pdf/financial-education-from-better-personal-finance-to-improved-citizenship.pdf

OECD (2022), Policy handbook on financial education in the workplace, OECD Publishing, Paris
https://www.oecd.org/finance/policy-handbook-on-financial-education-in-the-workplace-b211112e-en.htm

BMFSFJ (2023): Was mache ich mit meinen Schulden? Broschüre. Berlin
https://www.bmfsfj.de/resource/blob/95498/f9eed2083ef14e32c0c580eaf3e00c53/was-mache-ich-mit-meinen-schulden-data.pdf

OECD (2021): Nationale Finanzbildungsstrategie für Österreich. Wien
https://www.oecd.org/daf/fin/financial-education/austria-financial-literacy-strategy.htm

OECD/Infe 2020 International Survey of Adult Financial Literacy: https://www.oecd.org/financial/education/oecd-infe-2020-international-survey-of-adult-financial-literacy.pdf

Wolf, Marcus (2018) : Ain’t misbehaving: Behavioral economics and the making of financial literacy, economic sociology_the european electronic newsletter, ISSN 1871-3351, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (MPIfG), Cologne, Vol. 19, Iss. 2, pp. 10-18
https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/175573/1/econ_soc_19-2-3.pdf

Coface. Compendium on Financial Inclusion: https://coface-eu.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Compendium_EN_web.pdf

Alena Opletalová (2015): Financial education and financial literacy in the Czech education system. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences 171 (2015) 1176-1184
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275530310_Financial_Education_and_Financial_Literacy_in_the_Czech_Education_System

Dr. Dieter Korczak, Münchner Schuldenprävention für Kinder und Jugendliche. Evaluationsergebnisse aus fünf Jahren wissenschaftlicher Begleitforschung des Präventionsprojektes Cashless. München 2010

Dr. Dieter Korczak / Landeshauptstadt München (2007), Abschlussbericht Münchener Präventionsprojekte “Schuldenprävention in Kindergärten und Berufsschulen”. München
https://gp-f.com/de/pdf/sch_ikb.pdf

Beata Swiecka, Aleksandra Grzesiuk, Dieter Korczak, Olga Wyszkowska-Kaniewska, Financial Literacy and Financial Education. Theory and Survey. De Gruyter Oldenbourg: Berlin/Boston 2019

Financial Literacy and Financial Education: Theory and Survey – Beata Świecka, Aleksandra Grzesiuk, Dieter Korczak, Olga Wyszkowska-Kaniewska
https://books.google.de/books/about/Financial_Literacy_and_Financial_Educati.html?id=U3eODwAAQBAJ

Peter Schruth, Katharina Loerbroks, Barbara Kroll, Frank Lackmann (2023): Schuldnerberatung in der Sozialen Arbeit. Beltz Juventa (Weinheim, Basel)

VVA Brussels & CEPS: Report – Provision of actions to extend the availability and improve the quality of debt-advice services for European households Report on the 2020-2021 project of the European Commission on debt-advice

Carsten Homann, Malte Poppe (2022): Schuldnerberatung für die Soziale Arbeit – Grundlagen und Praxisanwendung. Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft (Baden-Baden)
https://www.nomos-shop.de/nomos/titel/schuldnerberatung-fuer-die-soziale-arbeit-id-107185/

Christoph Mattes, Simon Rosenkranz, Matthias D. Witte (Hrsg.) (2022): Das Soziale in der Schuldenberatung. Schneider Verlag Hohengehren
https://paedagogik.de/grundlagen-soziale-arbeit/product/das-soziale-in-der-schuldenberatung-2298/

Christoph Mattes (2021): Schuldenberatung und Schuldenprävention als Soziale Arbeit. Grundwissen und Handlungskonzepte. Verlag W. Kohlhammer
https://shop.kohlhammer.de/schuldenberatung-und-schuldenpravention-als-soziale-arbeit-34793.html#147=19

Harald Ansen (2018): Soziale Schuldnerberatung. Prävention und Intervention. Verlag W.Kohlhammer (Stuttgart)
https://shop.kohlhammer.de/soziale-schuldnerberatung-31711.html#147=22

Dr. Dieter Korczak, The Money Advice and Budgeting Service Ireland (MABS). A service to help people with financial problems and to tackle over-indebtedness. Synthesis Report. Peer Review in the field of social inclusion policies. Irland 2004

Dr. Dieter Korczak, Le Money Advice and Budgeting Service Ireland (MABS). Un service d’aide aux personnes avec des problèmes financiers et de lutte contre le surendettement. Rapport de synthèse. Peer Review in the field of social inclusion policies. Irland 2004

April 2022, European Coalition of NGO’s on the Consumer Credit Directive, Factsheet, Creditworthiness assessment for small loans: the key to prevent consumer over-indebtedness

Financial Services User Group (2016): Assessment of current and future impact of Big Data on Financial Services
https://finance.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2016-12/1606-big-data-on-financial-services_en_0.pdf

GP Forschungsgruppe/ ULD Schleswig-Holstein, Scoring nach der Datenschutznovelle 2009 und neue Entwicklungen, Kiel, München 2014
https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/downloads/DE/veroeffentlichungen/2014/studie-scoring.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=1

Sachverständigenrat für Verbraucherfragen (2018): Verbrauchergerechtes
Scoring
https://www.svr-verbraucherfragen.de/svrv_verbrauchergerechtes_scoring/

Co-Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EISMEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

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If you  have research articles, both new and old, which you want us to share here on the ECDN website, then please contact us. You can also contact us, if you know of other research, which is not done by you, but which is relevant to any of the categories above.