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Regulation, formal and informal enforcement and the development of the household loan market. Lessons from Italy

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Author Info
Luca Casolaro () (Bank of Italy, Economic Research Department)
Leonardo Gambacorta () (Bank of Italy, Economic Research Department)
Luigi Guiso () (Università di Sassari, Ente Einaudi e Cepr)

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Abstract

Regulation and contract enforcement may be important determinants of the development of the household loan market, as much as they are of the supply of corporate loans on which the literature has focused. This paper draws on the Italian experience to provide evidence that formal and informal institutions and banking regulation are crucial determinants of availability and cost of the household credit. Historically the Italian household credit market has been very small by international standards and its degree of development differs considerably across local markets. It has grown very fast over the last decade. This paper argues that the traditional small size reflects the joint operation of more limited legal and informal enforcement and tight financial regulation. Differences within Italy in the efficiency of the courts, in social trust and in exposure to regulation explain the geographical differences, while massive deregulation of market entry during the 1990s spurred supply and led to fast lending growth. This evidence, together with marked differences in the quality of legal enforcement, endowment of social capital and tightness of financial regulation across countries, implies that the forces found in Italy are likely to be a major explanation for the international differences in the size of the household loan market.

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Paper provided by Bank of Italy, Economic Research Department in its series Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) with number 560.

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Date of creation: Sep 2005
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Handle: RePEc:bdi:wptemi:td_560_05

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Related research
Keywords: consumer loans; financial liberalization; financial contracts enforcement;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomics: Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Mortgages

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
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Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Lippi, Francesco & Secchi, Alessandro, 2006. "Technological change and the demand for currency: An analysis with household data," CEPR Discussion Papers 6023, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  2. Mario Padula & Charles Grant, 2007. "Bounds on repayment behavior: evidence for the consumer credit market," Working Papers 2007_26, University of Venice "Ca' Foscari", Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  3. Tullio Jappelli & Mario Padula, 2007. "Households’ Saving and Debt in Italy," CSEF Working Papers 183, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy. [Downloadable!]
  4. Fernando E. Alvarez & Francesco Lippi, 2007. "Financial Innovation and the Transactions Demand for Cash," NBER Working Papers 13416, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  5. Alena Bicakova, 2007. "Does the Good Matter? Evidence on Moral Hazard and Adverse Selection from Consumer Credit Market," Economics Working Papers ECO2007/02, European University Institute. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Giorgio Brunello & Claudio Lupi & Patrizia Ordine, 2005. "Labor Taxes in Local Labor Markets: Evidence from Italian Regions," Giornale degli Economisti, GDE (Giornale degli Economisti e Annali di Economia), Bocconi University, vol. 64(1), pages 29-54, September. [Downloadable!]
  7. Andrea Brandolini & Giovanni D’Alessio & Luigi Cannari & Ivan Faiella, 2004. "Household Wealth Distribution in Italy in the 1990s," Economics Working Paper Archive wp414, Levy Economics Institute, The. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  8. Charles Grant & Mario Padula, 2006. "Informal Credit Markets, Judicial Costs and Consumer Credit: Evidence from Firm Level Data," CSEF Working Papers 155, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy. [Downloadable!]
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