This paper examines the empirical relationship between financial development and real per capita GDP growth, physical capital accumulation and total factor productivity growth. We use a panel data set of 78 countries over 35 years (1961-1995) using system GMM for dynamic panels. We correct the...

"This paper studies the factors banks perceive as drivers and obstacles to financing small and medium enterprises (SMEs), focusing on the role of competition and the institutional framework. Using a survey of banks in Argentina and Chile, the paper shows that, despite alleged differences in the...

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are important for employment and economic activity; however, they are perceived to lack adequate financing, which hampers their growth. As a consequence, governments have implemented a number of programs to foster SME lending and attention has focused on...