"An important literature on comparative long-run economic growth focuses on financial development. This work in economic history strongly complements the extensive empirical research by King and Levine (1993) and many others who have established a strong connection between financial development...

Chapter 1: Why Finance Matters for Economics: The Story of Financing the Railroad -- Chapter 2: The Story of the Original Boom and Bust in Western Finance: The Mississippi Bubble -- Chapter 3: Price Determination in a Multi Sector Global Economy -- Chapter 4: Credit Allocation and the Role of...

In this paper, we document the fact that countries that have experienced occasional financial crises have on average grown faster than countries with stable financial conditions. We measure the incidence of crisis with the skewness of credit growth, and find that it has a robust negative effect...

The paper analyzes the influence of credit market liberalization on economic growth in more than 100 economies over a period of 30 years. Liberalizing early and consistently is associated with higher living standards. However, although the timing of the reform seems to matter in raising living...

In this paper, we document the fact that countries that have experienced occasional financial crises have, on average, grown faster than countries with stable financial conditions. We measure the incidence of crisis with the skewness of credit growth, and find that it has a robust negative...