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Political promotion incentives and banking supervision: Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China

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  • Cheng, Junguo
  • Wang, Lei
  • He, Jing

Abstract

We document the importance of political promotion incentives for supervisors in banking supervision. Utilizing the merger of the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) and the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) in 2018, we explore the actions of head of the CBRC's regional offices. We find that the increased political promotion incentives are associated with higher frequency, greater amount, and greater severity of penalties in regional banking supervision. The enhanced supervision is more remarkable when the head of the CBRC's regional offices has a higher political rank. After the merger of the two commissions, the regional banking supervision is significantly weakened with the disappearance of political promotion incentives. Furthermore, these enhanced regional supervision triggered by the merger event reduce bank risk. Our findings show that the increased political promotion incentives affect the supervisor's activities and improve the supervision effectiveness.

Suggested Citation

  • Cheng, Junguo & Wang, Lei & He, Jing, 2023. "Political promotion incentives and banking supervision: Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbfina:v:156:y:2023:i:c:s0378426623002030
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbankfin.2023.107012
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    JEL classification:

    • G18 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill

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