Growth theory has traditionally assumed the existence of an aggregate production function, whose existence and properties are closely tied to the assumption of optimal resource allocation within each economy. We show extensive evidence, culled from the micro-development literature, demonstrating...

Expanding access to financial services holds the promise to help reduce poverty and spur economic development. But, as a practical matter, commercial banks have faced challenges expanding access to poor and low-income households in developing economies, and nonprofits have had limited reach. We...

We develop a growth model with banks and markets to reconcile the observed decreasing trend in the relative liquidity of many financial systems around the world with the increasing household participation in direct market trades. At low levels of economic development, the presence of fixed entry...

In many small developing countries, the benefits of capital market development are not realized, as banks dominate and stock markets struggle to establish a firm footing in the economy, remaining relatively illiquid and volatile. This paper examines the determinants of stock market volatility in...

It is not uncommon for the Friedman rule to be optimal in neoclassical models with money. Notably, previous studies also find that financial intermediation is not welfare improving when money is costless to hold. This paper departs from previous studies by highlighting the importance of...

Expanding access to financial services holds the promise to help reduce poverty and spur economic development. But, as a practical matter, commercial banks have faced challenges expanding access to poor and low-income households in developing economies, and nonprofits have had limited reach. We...

We analyze factors driving persistently higher financial intermediation costs in low-income countries (LICs) relative to emerging market (EM) country comparators. Using the net interest margin as a proxy for financial intermediation costs at the bank level, we find that within LICs a substantial...

Banking sector openness may directly increase growth by improving the quality of financial services and increasing funds available, or indirectly by improving the efficiency of financial intermediaries, both of which may reduce the cost of financing, in turn, increase capital accumulation and...

In the last decade, Arab countries achieved significant progress in financial sector reforms in recognition that economic growth is often associated with increasing financial deepening. In light of these developments, it is important to investigate the relationship between financial development...

This study uses quarterly data from 1973 to 2007 to investigate the influence of financial institutions on economic growth in Taiwan. We find that the breakpoint obtained by Gregory and Hansen (1996) appears in the third quarter of 1982, which coincides with the period of financial openness. In...