Financial Development, Economic Growth and the Distribution of Income

• Main Authors: Lin,chang ping, 林昌平
• Other Authors: Huang,tai hsin
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2010
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/45572704907485755585

博士 === 國立政治大學 === 金融研究所 === 98 === Essay 1: Blessing or Curse? The Role of Financial Development to Economic Growth This study aims to investigate the asymmetric effect between financial development and economic growth by considering the threshold effect. Based on Shen and Lee's (2006) findings, we examine whether the effect of financial development on economic growth depends on the threshold variable of bank development. Our hypothesis is that bank development is a blessing to economic growth at the low bank development regime, but it is a curse at the high bank development regime. To examine the “blessing-in low-regime” and “curse-in high-regime” hypothesis, we develop a dynamic panel threshold model (DPTM) to test this hypothesis. The DPTM is a direct extension of the non-dynamic panel threshold model of Hansen (1999). We conclude that the effect of bank development on economic growth supports the hypothesis. Nevertheless, the effect of stock market development on economic growth does not support the hypothesis. Essay 2: A Bivariate Causality between Financial Development and Economic Growth This study hypothesizes that causal relationship between financial development and economic growth is not linear; however, it may be influenced by the level of financial development or economic growth. A new econometric method, dynamic panel threshold model (DPTM) is proposed to investigate conditional causality. Herein, the thresholds of “bank development” and “economic growth” are applied. When bank development is used as threshold in the low bank-developed regime, bank development is beneficial for economic growth. However, it poses adverse effects on the stock market. In contrast, in the high bank-developed regime, bank development exhibits an adverse effect on economic growth whereas the stock market manifests the opposite effect. Nevertheless, economic growth is beneficial for bank development in both regimes, though the influence is stronger in the low bank-developed regime. Results are robust when the income level of a country is utilized as a threshold. Essay 3: How does Financial Development Affect the Distribution of Income? Inverted U-shaped Hypothesis or Linear Hypothesis This study analyzes the relationship between financial development and income distribution using panel data from both developing and developed countries between 1976 and 2005. Specifically, we analyze whether financial development has an impact on income inequality and whether this impact depends on the threshold variable of bank development. We define the low and high bank development regimes when a country's bank development is below and above the threshold and test two alternative hypotheses the “inverted U-shaped hypothesis” and the “linear hypothesis” with a dynamic panel threshold model (DPTM). The DPTM is a direct extension of the non-dynamic panel threshold model of Hansen (1999). We find little evidence to support the inverted U-shaped relationship between inequality and finance, the effect of stock market development on inequality supports the inverted U-shaped hypothesis. Nevertheless, the effect of bank development on inequality does not support the inverted U-shaped hypothesis. However, the relationship between financial development and income distribution is nonlinear.