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Finance and economic opportunity

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  • Demirguc-Kunt, Asli
  • Levine, Ross

Abstract

An influential body of theoretical research and an emerging line of empirical work suggest that the operation of the formal financial system affects the degree to which economic opportunities are defined bytalent and initiative rather than by parental wealth and social connections. This paper discusses the theory of how financial markets influence economic opportunity and reviews recent empirical work on the relation between formal financial systems and poverty, income inequality, and economic opportunity. The authors consider recent efforts to measure the ability of households and small enterprises to access financial services, the impact of this access, and the mechanisms through which finance affects poverty and inequality. The authors argue that considerably more research is needed to identify which formal financial sector policies enhance the operation of the financial system in ways that expand the economic horizons of the economically disenfranchised.

Suggested Citation

  • Demirguc-Kunt, Asli & Levine, Ross, 2008. "Finance and economic opportunity," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4468, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:4468
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    Cited by:

    1. Shakir Hussain Parrey & Suhail Ahmad Bhat, 2019. "Individual risk propensity and agri-entrepreneurial financing effectiveness: strategy for sustainable agri-financing," DECISION: Official Journal of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Springer;Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, vol. 46(1), pages 75-90, March.
    2. Ofori, Isaac K. & Armah, Mark K. & Asmah, Emmanuel E., 2021. "Towards the Reversal of Poverty and Income Inequality Setbacks Due to COVID-19: The Role of Globalisation and Resource Allocation," MPRA Paper 108619, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Rao, B. Bhaskara & Hassan, Gazi Mainul, 2011. "A panel data analysis of the growth effects of remittances," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 701-709.
    4. Ngalim, Siti Manisah & Ismail, Abdul Ghafar, 2015. "An Islamic Vision Development Based Indicators in Analysing the Islamic Banks Performance: Evidence from Malaysia, Indonesia and selected GCC Countries," Working Papers 1436-2, The Islamic Research and Teaching Institute (IRTI).
    5. International Association of Deposit Insurers, 2013. "Financial Inclusion and Deposit Insurance," IADI Research Papers 13-06, International Association of Deposit Insurers.
    6. Inekwe, John Nkwoma & Jin, Yi & Valenzuela, Maria Rebecca, 2018. "A new approach to financial integration and market income inequality," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 134-147.
    7. Olabimtan Adebowale & Dr Ralitza Dimova, 2016. "Does access to formal finance matter for welfare and inequality? Micro level evidence from Nigeria," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series 072016, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    8. Campero Alejandra & Kaiser Karen, 2013. "Access to Credit: Awareness and Use of Formal and Informal Credit Institutions," Working Papers 2013-07, Banco de México.
    9. Vivien Kappel, 2010. "The Effects of Financial Development on Income Inequality and Poverty," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 10/127, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.
    10. Silva, Thiago Christiano & Tabak, Benjamin Miranda & Laiz, Marcela Tetzner, 2021. "The finance-growth nexus: The role of banks," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 45(1).
    11. El Moussawi, Chawki & Mansour, Rana, 2022. "Competition, cost efficiency and stability of banks in the MENA region," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 143-170.
    12. Kappel, Vivien, 2010. "The effects of financial development on income inequality and poverty," Proceedings of the German Development Economics Conference, Hannover 2010 25, Verein für Socialpolitik, Research Committee Development Economics.
    13. Pradhan, Rudra P. & Arvin, Mak B. & Nair, Mahendhiran & Bennett, Sara E. & Hall, John H., 2018. "The dynamics between energy consumption patterns, financial sector development and economic growth in Financial Action Task Force (FATF) countries," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 42-53.
    14. Ariel Fiszbein & Norbert Schady & Francisco H.G. Ferreira & Margaret Grosh & Niall Keleher & Pedro Olinto & Emmanuel Skoufias, 2009. "Conditional Cash Transfers : Reducing Present and Future Poverty," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 2597, December.
    15. Kui-Wai Li, 2014. "An analysis on economic opportunity," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(33), pages 4060-4074, November.
    16. D’Onofrio, Alexandra & Minetti, Raoul & Murro, Pierluigi, 2019. "Banking development, socioeconomic structure and income inequality," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 428-451.
    17. Ivana Prica & Jelica Petrović Vujačić, 2010. "Financial Services Liberalisation in Transition Countries and the Role of the WTO," Panoeconomicus, Savez ekonomista Vojvodine, Novi Sad, Serbia, vol. 57(4), pages 487-501, December.

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    Keywords

    Access to Finance; Banks&Banking Reform; Emerging Markets; Debt Markets;
    All these keywords.

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