Challenges in Ensuring Financial Competencies: Essays on How to Measure Financial Knowledge, Target Beneficiaries and Deliver Educational Programmes

Abstract

The present collective work gathers views on how behavioural finance, neuroscience, sociology, cognitive psychology and pedagogy may contribute to improve measurement of financial knowledge, elicitation of personal attitudes, targeting audiences and delivery of educational programmes. These issues are particularly relevant in Italy, where the recently established National Committee for Financial Education is going to set and implement a long called national strategy. Following a multidisciplinary perspective, the work is intended to give food for thought with regard to methods and tools that may foster effective initiatives and coordination among the academia and the stakeholders involved in the design and delivery of educational programmes.

Keywords: Behavioural Finance, Decision-Making, Financial Advice, Financial Education, Financial Literacy, Investment Decisions, Learning, Overconfidence, Personality, Risk, Uncertainty

JEL Classification: D1, D14, D15, D81, D83, G41