How Financial Markets Affect Long Run Growth

A country with a more developed financial system tends to grow faster because it can make more efficient use of resources. Policy reform that fosters financial development also fosters a better growth rate real GDP.

Abstract: The first part of this paper reviews the literature on the relation between finance and growth. The second part of the paper reviews the literature on the historical and policy determinants of financial development. Governments play a central role in shaping the operation of financial systems and the degree to which large segments of the financial system have access to financial services. The paper discusses the relationship between financial sector policies and economic development.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) presents the full text of the December 2000 paper entitled "Financial Development and Economic Growth: An Overview," prepared by Mohsin S. Khan and Abdelhak S. Senhadji. The text is available in PDF format and the paper is part of the IMF's Working Paper series. This paper provides a review of literature on financial markets and discusses the relationship between financial development and economic growth.

Is there a strong empirical association between stock market development and long-term economic growth? Cross-country regressions suggest that there is a positive and robust association.Levine and Zervos empirically evaluate the relationship between stock market development and long-term growth. The data suggest that stock market development is positively associated with economic growth. Moreover, instrumental variables procedures indicate a strong connection between the predetermined component of stock market development and economic growth in the long run.While cross-country regressions imply a strong link between stock market development and economic growth, the results should be viewed as suggestive partial correlations that stimulate additional research rather than as conclusive findings. Much work remains to be done to shed light on the relationship between stock market development and economic growth. Careful case studies might help identify causal relationships and further research could be done on the time-series property of such relationships.Research should also be done to identify policies that facilitate the development of sound securities markets.This paper - a product of the Finance and Private Sector Development Division, Policy Research Department - is part of a larger effort in the department to study the relationship between financial systems and economic growth. The study was funded by the Bank's Research Support Budget under the research project Stock Market Development and Financial Intermediary Growth (RPO 679-53).

This paper discusses in a systematic and comprehensive way the existing literature on the relationship between the growth of countries’ economies and various public finance instruments, such as tax policy, expenditure policy, and overall budgetary policy, from the perspectives of allocative efficiency, macroeconomic stability, and income distribution. It reviews both the conceptual linkages between each of the instruments and growth and the empirical evidence on such relationships. It broadly concludes that fiscal policy could play a fundamental role in affecting the long-run growth performance of countries.

The links between economic policy and economic growth are occasionally obvious but often obscure, with many factors interacting to influence the overall process. The list of parameters affecting economic growth of interest to scholars and policymakers is lengthy and expanding. Although the importance of government policy is widely recognized, the effects of policy on economic growth, in terms of direction and of magnitude, are difficult to measure. In Economic Policy, Financial Markets, and Economic Growth, a group of distinguished scholars offers findings on this ongoing and crucial debate that will be of interest to both academic and policy audiences.

The US is slowly recovering from the aftermath of the burst of the 'new economy' bubble - which was one of the worst in monetary history. Philip Arestis and Elias Karakitsos examine the causes and consequences of the burst of the 'new economy' bubble and investigate the impact on financial markets. The risks and long-term prospects for the economy and financial markets are also examined.