We use a new dataset of de jure measures of trade, capital account, product market, and domestic financial regulation for 91 countries from 1973 to 2005 to test Rajan and Zingales’s (2003) interest group theory of financial development. In line with the theory, we find strong evidence that...

This paper explores the heterogeneous productivity impact of trade, product market and financial market policies over the last decade in China. The paper makes a critical distinction between downstream and upstream industries, focusing on the indirect effects of regulation in upstream industries...

This paper explores the productivity impact of trade, product market and financial market policies over the last decade in China – a fast growing country where, despite significant reform action, regulatory stance remains still far from OECD standards. The paper makes a critical distinction...

This article examines financial liberalisation in Indonesia and South Korea during the 1980s and the early 1990s. It provides a brief discussion of the pre-reform political and economic environment in the two countries, followed by a description of the state of the pre-reform financial sectors...

One of the most enduring debates in economics is whether financial development causes economic growth or whether it is a consequence of increased economic activity. Little research into this question, however has used a true causality framework. This paper fills this lacuna by using...

This paper examines the relationship between foreign bank entry and financial depth for 57 emerging and developing economies (EMDEs) over 1995-2009. Using various measures of financial depth, the paper also explores the degree to which the relationship between foreign bank entry and financial...

An important dimension of the effects of foreign bank entry on financial sector development relates to that of financial inclusion. Despite its policy significance, the empirical literature offers little evidence on the impact of bank competition generally or foreign bank entry specifically on...

This paper explores the impact of foreign bank entry on interest-rate-pass-through for a panel of 57 emerging and developing economies over 1995-2009. The paper tests for possible thresholds in terms of foreign bank presence that differentially impact interest-rate passthrough. The empirical...

The relationship between financial development and poverty is one that has not been extensively explored in the literature. This is the main objective of this paper. With a panel dataset of 147 countries between 1960 and 2008, and using infant mortality as a proxy indicator of poverty, the...