The insurance sector can play a critical role in financial and economic development. By reducing uncertainty and the impact of large losses the sector can encourage new investments, innovation, and competition. As financial intermediaries with long investment horizons, insurance companies can...

The insurance sector can play a critical role in financial and economic development. By reducing uncertainty and the impact of large losses, the sector can encourage new investments, innovation, and competition. As financial intermediaries with long investment horizons, insurance companies can...

This paper analyzes the bright and dark sides of the financial development process through the lenses of the four fundamental frictions to which agents are exposed-information asymmetry, enforcement, collective action, and collective cognition. Financial development is shaped by the efforts of...

This paper introduces the Global Financial Development Database, an extensive dataset of financial system characteristics for 205 economies from 1960 to 2010. The database includes measures of (a) size of financial institutions and markets (financial depth), (b) degree to which individuals can...