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Land Distribution and Financial System Development

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  • Mr. Dietrich Vollrath
  • Mr. Lennart Erickson

Abstract

Research on credit markets from developing economies, as well as work on the origin of institutions in general, has suggested that land inequality may play a role in determining financial development. In this paper we establish empirically that initial land inequality is a significant predictor of financial depth across countries, even while controlling for other predictors such as legal origin, ethnic fractionalization, and income inequality. To examine this relationship we have created a new measure of land distribution within countries that builds upon the work of Deininger and Squire (1998) by explicitly accounting for landlessness. In addition to being a significant predictor of financial development, land inequality is found to be uncorrelated with other fundamental characteristics of economies, suggesting its possible use in a wider range of research.

Suggested Citation

  • Mr. Dietrich Vollrath & Mr. Lennart Erickson, 2007. "Land Distribution and Financial System Development," IMF Working Papers 2007/083, International Monetary Fund.
    • Handle: RePEc:imf:imfwpa:2007/083
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    Cited by:

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    2. Sharp, Paul & Boberg-Fazlic, Nina & Lampe, Markus & Martinelli Lasheras, Pablo, 2020. "Winners and Losers from Enclosure: Evidence from Danish Land Inequality 1682-1895," CEPR Discussion Papers 14616, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    3. Leonardo A. Lanzona Jr., 2019. "Agrarian Reform and Democracy: Lessons from the Philippine Experience," Millennial Asia, , vol. 10(3), pages 272-298, December.
    4. Dalgaard, Carl-Johan & Olsson, Ola, 2007. "Why Are Market Economies Politically Stable? A Theory of Capitalist Cohesion," Working Papers in Economics 280, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
    5. José María, Larrú, 2012. "La relación entre la ayuda al desarrollo y la desigualdad. Evidencia y justificación teórica [Aid and inequality relationship. Evidence and theoretical justification]," MPRA Paper 38857, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Vollrath, Dietrich, 2008. "Agrarian Structure and Endogenous Financial System Development," MPRA Paper 11538, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Mauro Caselli, 2012. "Does wealth inequality reduce the gains from trade?," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 148(2), pages 333-356, June.
    8. de Zwart, Pim & Soekhradj, Phylicia, 2023. "Sweet equality: Sugar, property rights, and land distribution in colonial Java," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    9. Boberg-Fazlić, Nina & Lampe, Markus & Martinelli Lasheras, Pablo & Sharp, Paul, 2022. "Winners and losers from agrarian reform: Evidence from Danish land inequality 1682–1895," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).

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