We use a new dataset of de jure measures of trade, capital account, product market, and domestic financial regulation for 91 countries from 1973 to 2005 to test Rajan and Zingales's (2003) interest group theory of financial development. In line with the theory, we find strong evidence that trade...

This paper considers the effect of financial liberalisation on access to investment finance using firm level data covering 57 developing and transition countries. An index is presented which measures financial market liberalisation along the following policy dimensions: directed lending, credit...

The paper reviews the evidence of the impact of trade liberalisation on the economic performance of poor developing countries with respect to poverty reduction, the distribution of income within countries, the distribution of income between countries, trade and the balance of payments, and...

This paper analyses the impact of the reduction of tariff and non-tariff barriers on the trade balance and the current account of the balance of payments of 22 selected developing countries from Africa, Latin America, East Asia, and South Asia. The study presents estimates of dynamic panel data...

This paper analyses the impact of the reduction of tariff and non-tariff barriers on the imports of selected developing countries, utilising dynamic panel data techniques. Domestic income and relative prices are found to be significant determinants of import growth. Additionally, the results...

This chapter reviews and synthesizes theoretical and empirical research on the role of finance in developing countries. First, the paper presents the stylized facts about firms in developing nations as well as the legal, financial, and broader institutional framework in which these firms...

To clarify the causal links between financial activity and economic growth, three theoretical models are analyzed and a structural equation path models is estimated. In the modeling part, poverty traps result from large fixed costs or high proportions of real investment to run a financial...

We analyze the link between financial development and income inequality for a broad unbalanced dataset of 138 developed and developing countries over the years 1960 to 2008. Using credit-to-GDP as measure of financial development, our results reject theoretical models predicting a negative...

This paper presents an integrated overview of the literature linking institutions, financial development and economic growth. From the large body of research on institutional development, the paper first selects those contributions that make it possible to study the role of institutional...

This paper investigates whether financial development is conducive in poverty reduction. Separating financial development into four categories and using newly available data this paper finds that both financial deepening and greater physical access is beneficial in reducing the proportion of...