Banks and Regional Development: An Empirical Analysis on the Determinants of Credit Availability in Brazilian Regions

C<sc>rocco</sc> M., F<sc>aria</sc>-S<sc>ilva</sc> F., P<sc>aulo</sc>-R<sc>ezende</sc> L. and R<sc>odríguez</sc>-F<sc>uentes</sc> C. J. Banks and regional development: an empirical analysis on the determinants of credit availability in Brazilian regions, <italic>Regional Studies</italic>. This paper studies the influence that liquidity preference and bank lending strategies might have played in the determination of bank credit availability in Brazilian regions during the period 1999-2008. It puts forward the argument that in remoter and less developed regions, the liquidity preference of agents is higher and fluctuates along business cycles, reducing regional credit availability in downturns (due to both a contraction in supply and the demand for credit in remoter regions), and producing a more unstable pattern for credit availability alongside business cycles. Empirical evidence for the Brazilian regions during the period 1999-2008 is provided to support this view.