This study investigates the relationship between debtors? punishment and the credit market development. As the main goal we analyze empirically which is the optimal level of the debtors? punishment, providing the highest credit market development. Aligned with earlier theoretical findings from...

This study investigates the relationship between debtor punishment and the development of the credit market. We empirically analyze how the level of debtor punishment relates to the credit market expansion. We find evidence that an increase in debtor punishment tends to produce a positive effect...

In early 2005 a new bankruptcy law was approved by the Brazilian Congress, taking effect a few months later. The new legislation improved creditor protection and the bankruptcy system's efficiency. This paper tries to shed some light on the empirical consequences of a bankruptcy reform on a...

In early 2005, the Brazilian Congress approved a new bankruptcy law. The new legislation increased creditor protection and improved the efficiency of the bankruptcy system. This paper evaluates the empirical consequences of a bankruptcy reform on a poorly developed credit market. Using data from...

In 2004, Brazil provided an interesting natural experiment concerning personal credit. A new law was enacted allowing banks to offer loans with repayment through automatic payroll or social security benefit deduction, thus removing a significant part of the moral hazard problem by eliminating...

The present paper analyses the influence of the judiciary and bankruptcy law in the credit market and in the economic growth in differents regions of the world. This paper also criticizes the current "Law and Finance" theory, mainly the papers of La Porta et al (1997,1998) and Levine et al...