From Financial Fragility to Resilience: Households, Investors, and Small Businesses

A special issue of Journal of Risk and Financial Management (ISSN 1911-8074). This special issue belongs to the section "Financial Markets".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 1266

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
REMIT, Department of Economics and Management, Universidade Portucalense, 4200-027 Porto, Portugal
Interests: business administration; accounting scholarship; business economics and tourism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Graduate Program in Management of Public Organizations, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria 97105-900, Brazil
Interests: financial literacy; attitude to debt; financial well-being; credit card use and debt; financial management; financial planning for retirement; financial citizenship and default; the construction and application of instruments for evaluating public policies from the point of view of the end user; behavioral finance; public administration; public management; social sciences

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Guest Editor
Department of Economics, Management, Industrial Engineering and Tourism, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Interests: competitiveness; innovation; sustainability
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The dynamics of contemporary financial systems have revealed the vulnerability of households, small businesses, and investors to crises, economic shocks, and structural transformations in global markets. Periods of instability highlight financial fragility, while recovery paths emphasize resilience and adaptation. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial not only for academic research but also for the design of effective policies and strategies to strengthen financial well-being and economic sustainability.

This Special Issue, “From Financial Fragility to Resilience: Households, Investors, and Small Businesses”, aims to bring together multidisciplinary perspectives that deepen our knowledge of the drivers of fragility and resilience in household finance, small business finance, and investment decision-making.

Relevant themes include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Financial Fragility and Shocks: determinants of financial vulnerability, the role of debt and over-indebtedness, and the effects of inflation, unemployment, and crises (financial, health, climate) on households, small businesses, and investors.
  • Resilience and Adaptation: coping mechanisms, savings and investment strategies, diversification, financial literacy as a resilience factor, and intergenerational aspects of resilience among households, investors, and small businesses.
  • Investor Behavior: decision-making under uncertainty, behavioral biases, risk perception, herding behavior, and the role of financial advice in building resilience.
  • Financial Inclusion and Access: barriers to access credit and investment opportunities and the role of fintech and microfinance in reducing fragility and promoting resilience.
    Public Policy and Regulation: government support programs, fiscal and monetary policies aimed at mitigating fragility, and regulatory frameworks for investor protection.
    Socioeconomic and Cultural Dimensions: differences in resilience across income groups, gender, generations, or regions; cultural influences on financial behaviors; and comparative international analyses.
  • Technology and Innovation: the impact of digital financial services, big data, artificial intelligence, and blockchain on reducing fragility and enhancing resilience.
  • Measuring Financial Fragility and Resilience: development and validation of models, scales, and indicators to evaluate financial fragility and financial resilience among households, investors, and small businesses.

By fostering this interdisciplinary dialogue, we expect contributions that enrich the understanding of the complex interplay between financial fragility and resilience in households, investors, and small businesses. Such research will be essential for designing innovative solutions, public policies, and financial strategies that support long-term financial stability and well-being.

We warmly invite you to submit your research articles, reviews, or case studies to this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Fernando Oliveira Tavares
Dr. Kelmara Mendes Vieira
Dr. Elisabeth T. Pereira
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Risk and Financial Management is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • financial fragility
  • financial resilience
  • household finance
  • household saving
  • over-indebtedness
  • credit constraints
  • financial inclusion
  • financial exclusion
  • investment decision-making
  • behavioral finance
  • risk perception
  • behavioral biases
  • investor behavior
  • portfolio diversification
  • financial literacy
  • financial education
  • retirement planning
  • pension adequacy
  • financial well-being
  • financial stress
  • coping strategies
  • shock resilience
  • economic inequality
  • wealth distribution
  • intergenerational finance
  • financial vulnerability
  • consumer debt
  • financial advice
  • fintech and households
  • public policy and financial stability
  • crisis management
  • inflation and households
  • unemployment and financial fragility
  • housing finance
  • microfinance
  • sustainable finance
  • digital financial services
  • financial risk management
  • social networks and finance
  • climate change and financial resilience
  • sme finance
  • small business resilience
  • entrepreneurship and finance
  • business continuity planning
  • sme credit access
  • entrepreneurial debt
  • family businesses
  • crisis recovery in smes
  • financial management in small firms
  • small business financing strategies

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

30 pages, 461 KB  
Article
Financial Literacy in Contexts of Vulnerability: Determinants Among Women Horticulturists in Guinea-Bissau
by Ani Caroline Grigion Potrich, Ana Luiza Paraboni, Teju Ducanda, Karen Susele Gimenes Machado, Gabriel Leite Barcelos Moreira, Amanda de Arcega Innocente and Natália Machado
J. Risk Financial Manag. 2025, 18(12), 708; https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm18120708 - 12 Dec 2025
Viewed by 315
Abstract
Financial literacy plays a crucial role in promoting social and economic resilience, particularly in vulnerable contexts where access to education and financial services is limited. This study provides the first empirical analysis of the determinants of financial literacy among women horticulturists in Guinea [...] Read more.
Financial literacy plays a crucial role in promoting social and economic resilience, particularly in vulnerable contexts where access to education and financial services is limited. This study provides the first empirical analysis of the determinants of financial literacy among women horticulturists in Guinea Bissau in West Africa, a group that sustains household income and local markets through informal work. A survey with face-to-face data collection was employed, using a structured questionnaire to assess financial literacy across three dimensions: financial attitude, financial behavior, and financial knowledge. All 978 women horticulturists at the Pessubé Farm were invited to participate in the survey, and 200 valid questionnaires were returned and used as the final sample. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression. Results revealed prudent and consistent financial behaviors, mid to low financial attitudes marked by concern about expenses and short-term planning, and limited conceptual financial knowledge, with frequent uncertainty on basic topics such as inflation, interest, and diversification. Regression analysis showed that financial satisfaction and food sufficiency are positively associated with higher levels of financial literacy, while overdue debts exert a negative effect. These findings highlight that strengthening financial literacy in low income and informal settings requires context sensitive strategies integrating financial education, debt management, and food security initiatives, emphasizing the multidimensional nature of financial literacy and its role in inclusive and sustainable development. Full article
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23 pages, 513 KB  
Article
Financial Literacy, Financial Resilience and Participation in Securities Markets: Evidence from Portugal
by Margarida Abreu, Victor Mendes and Mário Coutinho dos Santos
J. Risk Financial Manag. 2025, 18(12), 677; https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm18120677 - 28 Nov 2025
Viewed by 641
Abstract
Using a unique multi-wave dataset from nationally representative surveys in Portugal (2015, 2020, and 2023), this study extends the household finance literature by examining the mechanisms linking financial literacy to capital market participation. We propose and test a moderated mediation framework, arguing that [...] Read more.
Using a unique multi-wave dataset from nationally representative surveys in Portugal (2015, 2020, and 2023), this study extends the household finance literature by examining the mechanisms linking financial literacy to capital market participation. We propose and test a moderated mediation framework, arguing that the relationship is channeled through the mediating roles of financial resilience and self-efficacy and is contingent upon sociodemographic moderators. Our findings reveal a decline in average financial knowledge between 2015 and 2020/23, with persistent gaps across socioeconomic groups. Empirical results from count, logit, and ordered logit models provide strong evidence for partial mediation; financial literacy significantly enhances a household’s financial resilience, which in turn is a strong positive predictor of participation in stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Furthermore, we find that perceived financial knowledge is a more powerful direct driver of participation than objective knowledge. Crucially, these pathways are powerfully moderated by income and education, highlighting that socioeconomic status is a fundamental boundary condition for converting knowledge into investment behavior. The results challenge simplistic direct-effects models and suggest that policy initiatives aimed at boosting market participation, such as the Portuguese National Plan for Financial Education, must look beyond knowledge dissemination to also foster financial resilience, self-efficacy, and address structural inequalities. Full article
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