The need to absorb windfalls gains and manage them appropriately has been discussed extensively by academics and policy makers alike. We explore the role of the financial sector in intermediating these windfalls. Controlling for the level of financial development, inflation, GDP growth and...

Contents: Part I Theory and evidence on finance and growth -- 1. Financial development and innovation-led growth / Phillippe Aghion, Peter Howitt and Ross Levine -- 2. Financial structure, economic growth and development / Franklin Allen, Xian Gu and Oskar Kowalewski -- 3. Evidence on finance...