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Access to financial services: a review of the issues and public policy objectives

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Claessens, Stijn

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Abstract

This paper reviews the evidence on the importance of finance for economic well-being, provides data on the degree of use of basic financial services by households and firms across a sample of countries, assesses the desirability of more universal access, and overviews the macroeconomic, legal, and regulatory obstacles to access using general evidence and case studies. Although access to finance can be very beneficial, the data show that universal use is far from prevalent in many countries, especially developing countries. At the same time, universal access has generally not been a public policy objective and is surely not easily achievable in most countries. Countries can, however, undertake many actions to facilitate access to financial services, including through strengthening their institutional infrastructures, liberalizing and opening up their markets and facilitating greater competition, and encouraging innovative use of know-how and technology. Government attempts and interventions to directly broaden the provision of access to finance, however, are fraught with risks and costs, among others, the risk of missing the targeted groups. The author concludes with possible global actions aimed at improving data on access and use, and areas for further analysis to help identify the constraints to broadening access.

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Paper provided by The World Bank in its series Policy Research Working Paper Series with number 3589.

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Date of creation: 01 May 2005
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Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:3589

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Keywords: Banks&Banking Reform; Governance Indicators; Financial Intermediation; Poverty Assessment; Health Economics&Finance;

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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. Clarke, George R. G. & Cull, Robert & Martinez Peria, Maria Soledad & Sanchez, Susana M., 2002. "Bank lending to small businesses in Latin America : does Bank origin matter?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2760, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
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  2. Thorsten Beck & Asli Demirguc-Kunt & Ross Levine, 2005. "SMEs, Growth, and Poverty: Cross-Country Evidence," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 10(3), pages 199-229, 09. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Allen N. Berger & David B. Humphrey, 1997. "Efficiency of financial institutions: international survey and directions for future research," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 1997-11, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.). [Downloadable!]
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  4. Patrick Honohan, 2004. "Financial development, growth, and poverty: how close are the links?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3203, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  5. Paulson, Jo Ann & McAndrews, James, 1998. "Financial services for the urban poor : South Africa's E Plan," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2016, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  6. Clarke, George & Xu, Lixin Colin & Zou, Heng-fu, 2003. "Finance and income inequality : test of alternative theories," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2984, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  7. Clarke, George R. G. & Cull, Robert & Martinez Peria, Maria Soledad, 2001. "Does foreign bank penetration reduce access to credit in developing countries"evidence from asking borrowers," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2716, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  8. de la Torre, Augusto & Gozzi, Juan Carlos & Schmukler, Sergio L., 2007. "Innovative experiences in access to finance : market friendly roles for the visible hand ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4326, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  9. Beck, Thorsten & Demirguc-Kunt, Asli & Maksimovic, Vojislav, 2002. "Financial and legal constraints to firm growth - Does size matter?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2784, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  10. Caprio Jr., Gerard & Demirguc-Kunt, Asli, 1997. "The role of long term finance : theory and evidence," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1746, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
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  11. Asli Demirgüç-Kunt & Vojislav Maksimovic, 1998. "Law, Finance, and Firm Growth," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 53(6), pages 2107-2137, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Claessens, Stijn & Perotti, Enrico, 2007. "Finance and inequality: Channels and evidence," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 748-773, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Thorsten Beck & Asli Demirgüç-Kunt & Vojislav Maksimovic, 2005. "Financial and Legal Constraints to Growth: Does Firm Size Matter?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 60(1), pages 137-177, 02. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. King, Robert G & Levine, Ross, 1993. "Finance and Growth: Schumpeter Might Be Right," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 108(3), pages 717-37, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  15. Hoff, Karla & Stiglitz, Joseph E., 1998. "Moneylenders and bankers: price-increasing subsidies in a monopolistically competitive market," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(2), pages 485-518, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  16. Jonathan Morduch, 1999. "The Microfinance Promise," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 37(4), pages 1569-1614, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  17. George Clarke & Robert Cull & Maria Soledad Martinez Peria & Susana M. S·nchez, 2003. "Foreign Bank Entry: Experience, Implications for Developing Economies, and Agenda for Further Research," World Bank Research Observer, Oxford University Press, vol. 18(1), pages 25-59.
  18. Thorsten Beck & Asli Demirguc-Kunt & Ross Levine, 2005. "SMEs, Growth, and Poverty," NBER Working Papers 11224, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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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. Demirguc-Kunt, Asli, 2006. "Finance and economic development : policy choices for developing countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3955, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  2. Alexander Conrad & Doris Neuberger & Maria Schneider-Reißig, 2008. "Geographic and Demographic Bank Outreach: Evidence from Germany’s Three-Pillar Banking System," Thuenen-Series of Applied Economic Theory 98, University of Rostock, Institute of Economics, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  3. Honohan, Patrick, 2006. "Household financial assets in the process of development," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3965, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Beck, Thorsten & de la Torre, Augusto, 2006. "The basic analytics of access to financial services," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4026, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  5. Toxopeus, Helen S. & Lensink, Robert, 2007. "Remittances and Financial Inclusion in Development," Working Papers UNU-WIDER Research Paper , World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER). [Downloadable!]
  6. Gabriel Cuadra & Juan M. Sanchez & Horacio Sapriza, 2009. "Fiscal policy and default risk in emerging markets," Working Paper 09-01, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. James B. Ang, 2008. "Finance And Inequality: The Case Of India," CAMA Working Papers 2008-18, Australian National University, Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  8. Beck, Thorsten & Demirguc-Kunt, Asli & Martinez Peria, Maria Soledad, 2005. "Reaching out : access to and use of banking services across countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3754, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
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