IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/pre/wpaper/202221.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Financial Development and Income Inequality: Evidence from Advanced, Emerging and Developing Economies

Author

Listed:
  • Carolyn Chisadza

    (Department of Economics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa)

  • Mduduzi Biyase

    (Director of the Economic Development and Well-being Research Group (EDWRG); Senior lecturer at the School of Economics, University of Johannesburg)

Abstract

Using a broad-based index of financial development, this paper investigates the effects of financial development on income inequality for 148 countries between 1980 and 2019. The findings indicate that in general, financial development reduces inequality across emerging and least developed countries, but is not statistically significant for advanced countries. However, when we disaggregate the financial development index into its sub-components (financial institutions and financial markets), we find different effects on inequality, based on the levels of development. Further investigation on the dimensions under financial institutions and financial markets (depth, access and efficiency) reveals that banking sector development under financial institutions has income inequality-reducing effects in emerging and least developed countries, while stock market development under financial markets widens inequality in least developed countries. The findings in our paper firstly highlight the nuances in financial development depending on the level of development in countries, and secondly that policies focussed on financial inclusion of the poor can mitigate inequality.

Suggested Citation

  • Carolyn Chisadza & Mduduzi Biyase, 2022. "Financial Development and Income Inequality: Evidence from Advanced, Emerging and Developing Economies," Working Papers 202221, University of Pretoria, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:pre:wpaper:202221
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    To our knowledge, this item is not available for download. To find whether it is available, there are three options:
    1. Check below whether another version of this item is available online.
    2. Check on the provider's web page whether it is in fact available.
    3. Perform a search for a similarly titled item that would be available.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alvaredo, Facundo & Atkinson, Anthony B. & Morelli, Salvatore, 2018. "Top wealth shares in the UK over more than a century," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 26-47.
    2. Vanessa S. Tchamyou & Simplice A. Asongu, 2017. "Information Sharing and Financial Sector Development in Africa," Journal of African Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(1), pages 24-49, January.
    3. Vanessa Simen Tchamyou, 2020. "Education, lifelong learning, inequality and financial access: evidence from African countries," Contemporary Social Science, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(1), pages 7-25, January.
    4. Oded Galor & Omer Moav, 2004. "From Physical to Human Capital Accumulation: Inequality and the Process of Development," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 71(4), pages 1001-1026.
    5. Greenwood, Jeremy & Jovanovic, Boyan, 1990. "Financial Development, Growth, and the Distribution of Income," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(5), pages 1076-1107, October.
    6. De Gregorio, Jose, 1996. "Borrowing constraints, human capital accumulation, and growth," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 49-71, February.
    7. Facundo Alvaredo & Lucas Chancel & Thomas Piketty & Emmanuel Saez & Gabriel Zucman, 2017. "Global Inequality Dynamics: New Findings from WID.world," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(5), pages 404-409, May.
    8. Muhammad Shahbaz & Nanthakumar Loganathan & Aviral Tiwari & Reza Sherafatian-Jahromi, 2015. "Financial Development and Income Inequality: Is There Any Financial Kuznets Curve in Iran?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 124(2), pages 357-382, November.
    9. Robert G. King & Ross Levine, 1993. "Finance and Growth: Schumpeter Might Be Right," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 108(3), pages 717-737.
    10. Mduduzi Biyase & Carolyn Chisadza, 2023. "Symmetric and asymmetric effects of financial deepening on income inequality in South Africa," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(5), pages 961-978, September.
    11. Andrew G. Berg & Jonathan D. Ostry, 2017. "Inequality and Unsustainable Growth: Two Sides of the Same Coin?," IMF Economic Review, Palgrave Macmillan;International Monetary Fund, vol. 65(4), pages 792-815, November.
    12. Gimet, Céline & Lagoarde-Segot, Thomas, 2011. "A closer look at financial development and income distribution," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 1698-1713, July.
    13. Sudharshan Reddy Paramati & Thanh Pham Thien Nguyen, 2019. "Does financial market growth improve income distribution? A comparison of developed and emerging market economies of the global sample," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(1), pages 629-646, January.
    14. Daron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson, 2001. "A Theory of Political Transitions," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(4), pages 938-963, September.
    15. Frederick Solt, 2020. "Measuring Income Inequality Across Countries and Over Time: The Standardized World Income Inequality Database," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 101(3), pages 1183-1199, May.
    16. Banerjee, Abhijit V & Newman, Andrew F, 1993. "Occupational Choice and the Process of Development," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 101(2), pages 274-298, April.
    17. Jauch, Sebastian & Watzka, Sebastian, 2016. "Financial development and income inequality: a panel data approach," Munich Reprints in Economics 43505, University of Munich, Department of Economics.
    18. Mehmet Akif Destek & Avik Sinha & Samuel Asumadu Sarkodie, 2020. "The relationship between financial development and income inequality in Turkey," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 9(1), pages 1-14, December.
    19. von Ehrlich, Maximilian & Seidel, Tobias, 2015. "Regional implications of financial market development: Industry location and income inequality," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 85-102.
    20. Frederick Solt, 2015. "Economic Inequality and Nonviolent Protest," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 96(5), pages 1314-1327, November.
    21. Philippe Aghion & Patrick Bolton, 1997. "A Theory of Trickle-Down Growth and Development," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 64(2), pages 151-172.
    22. Siong Hook Law & Hui Boon Tan, 2009. "The Role Of Financial Development On Income Inequality In Malaysia," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 34(2), pages 153-168, December.
    23. Oded Galor & Joseph Zeira, 1993. "Income Distribution and Macroeconomics," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 60(1), pages 35-52.
    24. Zhicheng Liang, 2006. "Financial Development And Income Distribution: A System Gmm Panel Analysis With Application To Urban China," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 31(2), pages 1-21, December.
    25. Beck, Thorsten & Levine, Ross & Loayza, Norman, 2000. "Finance and the sources of growth," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(1-2), pages 261-300.
    26. Eric S. Lin & Hamid E. Ali, 2009. "Military Spending and Inequality: Panel Granger Causality Test," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 46(5), pages 671-685, September.
    27. Manoel Bittencourt, 2010. "Financial development and inequality: Brazil 1985–1994," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 43(2), pages 113-130, May.
    28. Daron Acemoglu, 1998. "Why Do New Technologies Complement Skills? Directed Technical Change and Wage Inequality," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 113(4), pages 1055-1089.
    29. Jeong, Hyeok & Townsend, Robert M., 2008. "Growth And Inequality: Model Evaluation Based On An Estimation-Calibration Strategy," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 12(S2), pages 231-284, September.
    30. Li, Hongyi & Squire, Lyn & Zou, Heng-fu, 1998. "Explaining International and Intertemporal Variations in Income Inequality," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 108(446), pages 26-43, January.
    31. Samuel Adams & Edem Kwame Mensah Klobodu, 2016. "Financial development, control of corruption and income inequality," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(6), pages 790-808, November.
    32. Facundo Alvaredo & Thomas Piketty & Emmanuel Saez & Lucas Chancel & Gabriel Zucman, 2018. "World Inequality Report 2018," PSE-Ecole d'économie de Paris (Postprint) halshs-01885458, HAL.
    33. Kim, Dong-Hyeon & Lin, Shu-Chin, 2011. "Nonlinearity in the financial developmentâincome inequality nexus," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 310-325, September.
    34. James B. Ang, 2010. "Finance and Inequality: The Case of India," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 76(3), pages 738-761, January.
    35. Era Dabla-Norris & Kalpana Kochhar & Nujin Suphaphiphat & Franto Ricka & Evridiki Tsounta, 2015. "Causes and Consequences of Income Inequality; A Global Perspective," IMF Staff Discussion Notes 15/13, International Monetary Fund.
    36. Nabil Alimi & Nabil Aflouk, 2017. "Terms-of-trade shocks and macroeconomic volatility in developing countries: panel smooth transition regression models," The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(5), pages 534-551, July.
    37. Johansson, Anders C. & Wang, Xun, 2014. "Financial sector policies and income inequality," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 367-378.
    38. Muhammad Shahbaz & Mita Bhattacharya & Mantu Kumar Mahalik, 2017. "Finance and income inequality in Kazakhstan: evidence since transition with policy suggestions," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(52), pages 5337-5351, November.
    39. George R. G. Clarke & Lixin Colin Xu & Heng‐fu Zou, 2006. "Finance and Income Inequality: What Do the Data Tell Us?," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 72(3), pages 578-596, January.
    40. Thorsten Beck & Asli Demirgüç-Kunt & Ross Levine, 2007. "Finance, inequality and the poor," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 27-49, March.
    41. Madhu Sehrawat & A K Giri, 2015. "Financial development and income inequality in India: an application of ARDL approach," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 42(1), pages 64-81, January.
    42. Enowbi Batuo, Michael & Guidi, Francesco & Mlambo, Kupukile, 2010. "Financial Development and Income Inequality: Evidence from African Countries," MPRA Paper 25658, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    43. Ms. Era Dabla-Norris & Ms. Kalpana Kochhar & Mrs. Nujin Suphaphiphat & Mr. Franto Ricka & Ms. Evridiki Tsounta, 2015. "Causes and Consequences of Income Inequality: A Global Perspective," IMF Staff Discussion Notes 2015/013, International Monetary Fund.
    44. Muhammad Shahbaz & Faridul Islam, 2011. "Financial Development And Income Inequality In Pakistan: An Application Of Ardl Approach," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 36(1), pages 35-58, March.
    45. Claessens, Stijn & Perotti, Enrico, 2007. "Finance and inequality: Channels and evidence," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 748-773, December.
    46. Pickett, Kate E. & Wilkinson, Richard G., 2015. "Income inequality and health: A causal review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 316-326.
    47. Md Abdullah Omar & Kazuo Inaba, 2020. "Does financial inclusion reduce poverty and income inequality in developing countries? A panel data analysis," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 9(1), pages 1-25, December.
    48. Edem Kwame Mensah Klobodu & Samuel Adams, 2016. "Capital Flows and Economic Growth in Ghana," Journal of African Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(3), pages 291-307, September.
    49. Lucas, Robert Jr., 1988. "On the mechanics of economic development," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 3-42, July.
    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. Valentine Soumtang Bime & Itchoko Motande Mondjeli Mwa Ndjokou, 2023. "Does institutional quality matter in financial development and income inequality nexus? new evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 43(3), pages 1395-1410.
    2. Norhasimah Shaharuddin & Mohd Hafiz Abd. Wahab & Nik Rozila Nik Masdek & Norzitah Abdul Karim & Bushra Mohd Zaki & Salwaty Jamaludin, 2023. "Does Financial Development and Corruption reduce the level of Income Inequality? Evidence from Malaysia," Information Management and Business Review, AMH International, vol. 15(3), pages 108-116.
    3. Wisam Abed Shukur & Zaid M. Jawad Kubba & Saif Saad Ahmed, 2023. "Novel Standard Polynomial as New Mathematical Basis for Digital Information Encryption Process," Advances in Decision Sciences, Asia University, Taiwan, vol. 27(3), pages 72-85, September.
    4. Wang, Xiang & Yin, Jian & Yang, Yao & Muda, Iskandar & Abduvaxitovna, Shamansurova Zilola & AlWadi, Belal Mahmoud & Castillo-Picon, Jorge & Abdul-Samad, Zulkiflee, 2023. "Relationship between the resource curse, Forest management and sustainable development and the importance of R&D Projects," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(PA).
    5. Mohammad AL-Gharaibeh & Aamir Ali & Umar Farooq & Lara Alhaddad, 2023. "The Interaction Between Asset Tangibility, Cash Holdings, and Financial Development: An Evidence from Emerging Economy," Advances in Decision Sciences, Asia University, Taiwan, vol. 27(4), pages 114-132, December.

    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. Roya Taherifar & Mark J. Holmes & Gazi M. Hassan, 2023. "Does economic openness matter in the impact of financial development on income inequality?," Working Papers in Economics 23/04, University of Waikato.
    2. Meniago, Christelle & Asongu, Simplice A., 2018. "Revisiting the finance-inequality nexus in a panel of African countries," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 399-419.
    3. Muhammad Shahbaz & Nanthakumar Loganathan & Aviral Tiwari & Reza Sherafatian-Jahromi, 2015. "Financial Development and Income Inequality: Is There Any Financial Kuznets Curve in Iran?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 124(2), pages 357-382, November.
    4. Passant M. B. Selim & Hasan Güngör, 2021. "Inequality and financial development: Evidence from selected MENA region countries," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(2), pages 2732-2747, April.
    5. Yongfen Shi & Sudeshna Paul & Sudharshan Reddy Paramati, 2022. "The impact of financial deepening on income inequality: Empirical evidence from Australia," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(3), pages 3564-3579, July.
    6. Brei, Michael & Ferri, Giovanni & Gambacorta, Leonardo, 2023. "Financial structure and income inequality," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    7. Barhoom Faeyzh, 2023. "Revisiting the Financial Development and Income Inequality Nexus: Evidence from Hungary," Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Economics and Business, Sciendo, vol. 11(1), pages 227-257, October.
    8. Abdul Rahim Ridzuan & Shahsuzan Zakaria & Bayu Arie Fianto & Nora Yusma Mohamed Yusoff & Nor Fatimah Che Sulaiman & Mohamad Idham Md Razak & Siswantini Siswantini & Arsiyanti Lestari, 2021. "Nexus between Financial Development and Income Inequality before Pandemic Covid-19: Does Financial Kuznets Curve Exist in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines?," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 11(2), pages 260-271.
    9. Mohamed Chakroun, 2020. "Threshold effects in the relationship between financial development and income inequality," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(3), pages 365-387, July.
    10. Dirk Bezemer & Anna Samarina, 2019. "Debt shift, financial development and income inequality," DNB Working Papers 646, Netherlands Central Bank, Research Department.
    11. Seven, Unal & Coskun, Yener, 2016. "Does financial development reduce income inequality and poverty? Evidence from emerging countries," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 34-63.
    12. Anjan K. Saha & Vinod Mishra & Russell Smyth, 2021. "Financial development and top income shares in OECD countries," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 87(3), pages 952-978, January.
    13. YOUNSI, Moheddine & BECHTINI, Marwa, 2018. "Economic Growth, Financial Development and Income Inequality in BRICS Countries: Evidence from Panel Granger Causality Tests," MPRA Paper 85182, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Baiardi, Donatella & Morana, Claudio, 2018. "Financial development and income distribution inequality in the euro area," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 40-55.
    15. Jelson Serafim, 2021. "Financial deepening, Stock market, Inequality and Poverty: Some African Evidence," Working Papers REM 2021/0177, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, REM, Universidade de Lisboa.
    16. Ricardo Barradas & Rishi Lakhani, 2024. "The finance–inequality nexus in the era of financialisation: Evidence for Portugal," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(3), pages 3510-3544, July.
    17. Chiu, Yi-Bin & Lee, Chien-Chiang, 2019. "Financial development, income inequality, and country risk," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 1-18.
    18. Ọláyínká Oyèkọ́lá, 2021. "Finance and inequality in a panel of US States," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 61(5), pages 2739-2795, November.
    19. Murat Cetin & Harun Demir & Selin Saygin, 2021. "Financial Development, Technological Innovation and Income Inequality: Time Series Evidence from Turkey," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 156(1), pages 47-69, July.
    20. Boukraine, Wissem, 2020. "The finance-inequality nexus in the BRICS countries: evidence from an ARDL bound testing approach," MPRA Paper 101976, University Library of Munich, Germany.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    financial development; financial markets; inequality; financial institutions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C22 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Time-Series Models; Dynamic Quantile Regressions; Dynamic Treatment Effect Models; Diffusion Processes
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • G20 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - General
    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:pre:wpaper:202221. 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: Rangan Gupta (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/decupza.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.