IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/wbk/wbrwps/843.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

How financial markets affect long run growth : a cross country study

Author

Listed:
  • Ghani, Ejaz

Abstract

Empirical studies on new growth theory have tended to ignore financial policy's role in development. The author provides evidence that the initial level of financial development is positively associated with a country's later GDP growth rate, after controlling for the effect of the starting value of human capital and the investment rate. A country that starts with a more developed financial system tends to grow faster because it can make more efficient use of resources. It can do so through several channels, including better evaluation and monitoring of firms, lower transaction costs for financial intermediation, and externalities generated from information collected and processed in financial markets. Policy reform that fosters financial development also has a significant positive effect on the growth rate of real GDP. The empirical evidence presented for 50 developing countries tends to reinforce a classical theme of development economics: the importance of human capital and financial markets.

Suggested Citation

  • Ghani, Ejaz, 1992. "How financial markets affect long run growth : a cross country study," Policy Research Working Paper Series 843, The World Bank.
  • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:843
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/1992/01/01/000009265_3961002073545/Rendered/PDF/multi_page.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Romer, Paul M, 1986. "Increasing Returns and Long-run Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(5), pages 1002-1037, October.
    2. Robert M. Solow, 1956. "A Contribution to the Theory of Economic Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 70(1), pages 65-94.
    3. Robert J. Barro, 1991. "Economic Growth in a Cross Section of Countries," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 106(2), pages 407-443.
    4. Williamson, Stephen D., 1986. "Costly monitoring, financial intermediation, and equilibrium credit rationing," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 159-179, September.
    5. Townsend, Robert M, 1983. "Financial Structure and Economic Activity," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 73(5), pages 895-911, December.
    6. White, Halbert, 1980. "A Heteroskedasticity-Consistent Covariance Matrix Estimator and a Direct Test for Heteroskedasticity," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 48(4), pages 817-838, May.
    7. Ejaz Ghani, 1992. "How Significant are Externalities for Development?," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: North-South and South-South, chapter 6, pages 118-161, Palgrave Macmillan.
    8. Baumol, William J, 1986. "Productivity Growth, Convergence, and Welfare: What the Long-run Data Show," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 76(5), pages 1072-1085, December.
    9. Tjalling C. Koopmans, 1963. "On the Concept of Optimal Economic Growth," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 163, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University.
    10. David Cass, 1965. "Optimum Growth in an Aggregative Model of Capital Accumulation," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 32(3), pages 233-240.
    11. Jung, Woo S, 1986. "Financial Development and Economic Growth: International Evidence," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 34(2), pages 333-346, January.
    12. Kyriacou, George A., 1991. "Level and Growth Effects of Human Capital: A Cross-Country Study of the Convergence Hypothesis," Working Papers 91-26, C.V. Starr Center for Applied Economics, New York University.
    13. Stern, Nicholas, 1991. "Public policy and the economics of development," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(2-3), pages 241-271, April.
    14. Edwards, Sebastian, 1992. "Trade orientation, distortions and growth in developing countries," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 31-57, July.
    15. Joseph E. Stiglitz, 1991. "Government, Financial Markets, and Economic Development," NBER Working Papers 3669, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    16. Easterly, William R. & Wetzel, Deborah L., 1989. "Policy determinants of growth : survey of theory and evidence," Policy Research Working Paper Series 343, The World Bank.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Joydeep Biswas, 2008. "Does Finance Lead to Economic Growth? An Empirical Assessment of 12 Asian Economies," Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research, National Council of Applied Economic Research, vol. 2(3), pages 229-246, August.
    2. Westley, Glenn D. & Shaffer, Sherrill, 1999. "Credit union policies and performance in Latin America," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 23(9), pages 1303-1329, September.
    3. Glenn Westley & Sherrill Shaffer, 1997. "Políticas de las asociaciones de crédito y el desempeño en América Latina," Research Department Publications 4087, Inter-American Development Bank, Research Department.
    4. Valpy FitzGerald (QEH), "undated". "Finance and Growth in Developing Countries: Sound Principles and Unreliable Evidence," QEH Working Papers qehwps153, Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford.
    5. Levine, Ross & Zervos, Sara, 1996. "Stock Market Development and Long-Run Growth," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 10(2), pages 323-339, May.
    6. Walid Abdmoulah & Riadh Ben Jelili, 2013. "Access to Finance Thresholds and the Finance-Growth Nexus," Economic Papers, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 32(4), pages 522-534, December.
    7. Clarke, George R. G., 1995. "More evidence on income distribution and growth," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 403-427, August.
    8. Stolbov, Mikhail, 2013. "The finance-growth nexus revisited: From origins to a modern theoretical landscape," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 7, pages 1-22.
    9. repec:idb:brikps:422 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Byamugisha, Frank F.K., 1999. "How land registration affects financial development and economic growth in Thailand," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2241, The World Bank.
    11. Christopoulos, Dimitris K. & Tsionas, Efthymios G., 2004. "Financial development and economic growth: evidence from panel unit root and cointegration tests," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(1), pages 55-74, February.
    12. TRABELSI, Mohammed, 2002. "Finance and Growth : Empirical Evidence from Developing Countries, 1960-1990," Cahiers de recherche 2002-13, Universite de Montreal, Departement de sciences economiques.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. ?gel de la Fuente, "undated". "Convergence Across Countries And Regions: Theory And Empirics," UFAE and IAE Working Papers 447.00, Unitat de Fonaments de l'Anàlisi Econòmica (UAB) and Institut d'Anàlisi Econòmica (CSIC).
    2. de la Fuente, Angel, 1997. "The empirics of growth and convergence: A selective review," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 23-73, January.
    3. Pozzolo, Alberto Franco, 2004. "Endogenous Growth in Open Economies - A Survey of Major Results," Economics & Statistics Discussion Papers esdp04020, University of Molise, Department of Economics.
    4. Maudos, Joaquin & Mas, Matilde & Pérez, Francisco & Uriel, Ezequiel, 1995. "Public Capital and Productive Efficiency in the Spanish Regions (1964 1989)," MPRA Paper 15869, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 1995.
    5. Robert J. Barro & Xavier Sala-i-Martin, 1990. "Economic Growth and Convergence across The United States," NBER Working Papers 3419, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Sala-i-Martin, Xavier X, 1996. "The Classical Approach to Convergence Analysis," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 106(437), pages 1019-1036, July.
    7. Galimberti, Jaqueson K., 2009. "Conditioned Export-Led Growth Hypothesis: A Panel Threshold Regressions Approach," MPRA Paper 13417, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Ben-David, Dan & Loewy, Michael B, 1998. "Free Trade, Growth, and Convergence," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 3(2), pages 143-170, June.
    9. Cem Ertur & Thiaw Kalidou, 2005. "Growth and Spatial Dependence - The Mankiw, Romer and Weil model revisited," ERSA conference papers ersa05p660, European Regional Science Association.
    10. Alberto Franco Pozzolo, 2004. "Endogenous growth in open economies: a surveys," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 527, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    11. Barro, Robert J, 1990. "Government Spending in a Simple Model of Endogenous Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(5), pages 103-126, October.
    12. Alejandro Diaz-Bautista, 2005. "Regional Convergence of Income and Labor Productivity in Mexico," Urban/Regional 0512016, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. repec:ebl:ecbull:v:2:y:2002:i:1:p:1-15 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Henrekson, Magnus & Torstensson, Johan & Torstensson, Rasha, 1997. "Growth effects of European integration," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 41(8), pages 1537-1557, August.
    15. Gylfason, Thorvaldur, 1999. "Exports, Inflation and Growth," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 27(6), pages 1031-1057, June.
    16. Rafiou Raphaël Bétila, 2021. "The impact of Ease of Doing Business on economic growth: a dynamic panel analysis for African countries," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 1(10), pages 1-34, October.
    17. Themba G Chirwa & NM Odhiambo, 2019. "An Empirical Test Of Exogenous Growth Models: Evidence From Three Southern African Countries," Economic Annals, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Belgrade, vol. 64(220), pages 7-38, January –.
    18. George Petrakos & Panagiotis Artelaris, 2009. "European Regional Convergence Revisited: A Weighted Least Squares Approach," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(2), pages 314-331, June.
    19. Johan Lundberg, 2006. "Using spatial econometrics to analyse local growth in Sweden," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(3), pages 303-316.
    20. Raul A. Barreto & Anthony W. Hughes, 2004. "Under Performers and Over Achievers: A Quantile Regression Analysis of Growth," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 80(248), pages 17-35, March.
    21. Petrakis, P.E. & Stamatakis, D., 2005. "Human capital, growth and convergence traps: Implications from a cross-country analysis," Proceedings of the German Development Economics Conference, Kiel 2005 26, Verein für Socialpolitik, Research Committee Development Economics.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:843. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Roula I. Yazigi (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/dvewbus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.