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An End to Consensus? The Selective Impact of Corporate Law Reform on Financial Development

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  • Deakin, S.
  • Sarkar, P.
  • Singh, A.

Abstract

Legal origins theory suggests that law reform, strengthening shareholder and creditor rights, should enhance financial development. We use recently created datasets measuring legal change over time in a sample of 25 developing, developed and transition countries to test this claim. We find that increases in shareholder protection contribute to stock market growth in the common law world and in developing countries, but not in the civil law world. We also find evidence of reverse causation, with financial development triggering legal changes in the developing world. We consider a number of reasons for the selective impact of law reform, focusing on the endogeneity of the legal system to its economic context, and on resulting complementarities between legal and financial institutions.

Suggested Citation

  • Deakin, S. & Sarkar, P. & Singh, A., 2011. "An End to Consensus? The Selective Impact of Corporate Law Reform on Financial Development," Working Papers wp423, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
    • Handle: RePEc:cbr:cbrwps:wp423
    Note: PRO-2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Ashwani Saith, 2018. "Ajit Singh (1940–2015), the Radical Cambridge Economist: Anti†imperialist Advocate of Third World Industrialization," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 49(2), pages 561-628, March.
    2. Gerhard Schnyder & Centre for Business Research, 2018. "Investigating New Types of 'Decoupling': Minority Shareholder Protection in the Law & Corporate Practice," Working Papers wp502, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
    3. Deakin, Simon, 2013. "The legal theory of finance: Implications for methodology and empirical research," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(2), pages 338-342.
    4. Deakin, S. & Sarkar, P., 2011. "Indian Labour Law and its Impact on Unemployment, 1970-2006: A leximetric study," Working Papers wp428, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
    5. Glauco De Vita & Chengchun Li & Yun Luo, 2022. "Legal origin and financial development: A propensity score matching analysis," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(1), pages 535-553, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    legal origins; company law; shareholder rights; creditor rights; financial development;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G33 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Bankruptcy; Liquidation
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • K22 - Law and Economics - - Regulation and Business Law - - - Business and Securities Law
    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance

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