Does Local Financial Development Matter?

Luigi Guiso (), Paola Sapienza () and Luigi Zingales

No 8923, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We study the effects of differences in local financial development within an integrated financial market. To do so, we construct a new indicator of financial development by estimating a regional effect on the probability that, ceteris paribus, a household is shut off from the credit market. By using this indicator we find that financial development enhances the probability an individual starts his own business, favors entry, increases competition, and promotes growth of firms. As predicted by theory, these effects are weaker for larger firms, which can more easily raise funds outside of the local area. Overall, the results suggest local financial development is an important determinant of the economic success of an area even in an environment where there are no frictions to capital movements.

JEL-codes: G0 G2 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ent, nep-fmk and nep-mfd
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Related works:
Working Paper: Does Local Financial Development Matter? (2002)
Journal Article: Does Local Financial Development Matter? (2004)
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