Inequality and Growth: The Role of Beliefs and Culture

In egalitarian countries people believe that luck rather than hard work determines success in life and expect their government to provide both economic growth and social equity. This leads to a stronger dynamic interplay between government interventions, inequality and growth within such countries. The presented results thus confirm the importance of cultural factors and economic beliefs in shaping the inequality-growth link. More fundamentally, the paper demonstrates that cultural background does not only influence the long-run economic outcomes, but can also affect the joint dynamics of real economic variables within countries over time.culture; inequality; growth

Investment in Relationship-Specific Assets: Does Finance Matter?

Existing literature sees opportunistic behaviour of contractual partners as the main reason why rational agents underinvest in relationship-specific assets. We look beyond this well-know holdup problem and argue that financial vulnerability and short-term planning horizon can also lead to such underinvestment. Subsequently, banks can stimulate growth-enhancing investment in relationship-specific assets by signalling creditworthiness and long-term planning horizon of their borrowers. We empirically confirm this hypothesis by showing that industries dependent on relationship-specific investment from their suppliers grow disproportionately faster in countries with a strong banking sectorfinancial development, relationship-specific investment, growth

Investment in Relationship-Specific Assets: Does Finance Matter ?

Existing literature sees opportunistic behaviour of contractual partners as the main reason why rational agents underinvest in relationship-specific assets. We look beyond this well-know holdup problem and argue that financial vulnerability and short-term planning horizon can also lead to such underinvestment. Subsequently, banks can stimulate growth-enhancing investment in relationship-specific assets by signalling creditworthiness and long-term planning horizon of their borrowers. We empirically confum this hypothesis by showing that industries dependent on relationship-specific investment from their suppliers grow disproportionately faster in countries with a strong banking sector. Our work establishes a novel channel through which finance affects the real economy. It also complements the literature that has stressed legally binding contracts as a standard way to promote investment in relationship-specific assets.financial development; relationship-specific investment; growth

Investment in Relationship-Specific Assets: Does Finance Matter?

We show that contract-intensive industries grow disproportionately faster both in countries with a high initial level of financial development and in the US states which deregulated their banking sector. These industries use a high share of relationship-specific inputs that can be purchased only via specific contracts with the suppliers. Accordingly, both firms in those industries and their suppliers face above-average levels of risk and transaction costs. Our empirical results thus confirm the theoretical claim that finance promotes the real economy via managing risk and decreasing transaction costs. Furthermore, the pro-growth effect of finance seems to come from financial intermediaries like banks rather than from stock markets. This suggests that the intrinsic functions of relationship-banking (long-term commitment, increase in reputation and planning horizon of the borrowers) are especially important for the contract-intensive industries.financial development; relationship-specific investment; growth

Finance, Comparative Advantage, and Resource Allocation

The paper examines the interplay between financial development and comparative advantage in shaping the survival of exporting firms on foreign markets. Exports suffering from comparative disadvantage (labour-intensive products from capital-abundant countries) survive shorter on the competitive US market. Crucially, the pattern is stronger if the exporting country has a well-developed banking system. This suggests a positive role for finance in pushing the manufacturing sector towards export composition congruent with the comparative advantage of a given country. A strong financial sector can thus mitigate misallocation of resources arising from inefficient exporting patterns.financial development; resource misallocation; comparative advantage

Investment in Relationship-Specific Assets: Does Finance Matter?

We show that contract-intensive industries particularly thrive both in countries with high initial level of financial development and in the US states that deregulated their banking sector. These industries use high share of relationship-specific inputs that can be purchased only via specific contracts with the suppliers. Accordingly, both firms in those industries and their suppliers face above-average levels of risk and transaction costs. Our empirical results thus confirm the theoretical claim that finance promotes real economy via managing risk and decreasing transaction costs. Furthermore, the pro-growth e¤ect of finance seems to come from financial intermediaries like banks rather than from stock markets. This suggests that the intrinsic functions of relationship-banking (long-term commitment, increase in reputation and planning horizon of the borrowers) are especially important for the contract-intensive industries.financial development, relationship-specific investment, growth

Financial dependence and intensive margin of trade

This paper analyze the survival of developing countries exports using the methodology developed by Rajan and Zingales (1998). An exporter faces multiple obstacles when entering new markets: imperfect information about the market, quality requirements of the importing countries, trade and marketing costs etc. Only firms with sufficient financial resources and high productivity can enter the international market. (Melitz 2003; Chaney 2005; Berman 2009). Therefore, one can expect exporters from a country with a well functioning financial markets to survive longer than exporters from a country where the financial markets are underdeveloped. In particular, we check if the exports of industries heavily dependent on external finance survive longer in foreign markets when produced in countries with developed financial system.financial development ; financial dependence ; trade duration

Financial dependence and intensive margin of trade

This paper analyze the survival of developing countries exports using the methodology developed by Rajan and Zingales (1998). An exporter faces multiple obstacles when entering new markets: imperfect information about the market, quality requirements of the importing countries, trade and marketing costs etc. Only firms with sufficient financial resources and high productivity can enter the international market. (Melitz 2003; Chaney 2005; Berman 2009). Therefore, one can expect exporters from a country with a well functioning financial markets to survive longer than exporters from a country where the financial markets are underdeveloped. In particular, we check if the exports of industries heavily dependent on external finance survive longer in foreign markets when produced in countries with developed financial system.Cet article étudie la durée de survie des exportations de pays en développement à destination des pays de l'OCDE. L'article utilise la méthodologie présentée par Rajan et Zingales, 1998. Pour pénétrer le marché international, les exportateurs, font face à de nombreux obstacles, information imparfaite, coûts fixes d'entrée, coûts de marketing, exigence des distributeurs dans les pays importateurs etc. Seules les firmes les plus productives et bénéficiant d'un accès suffisant à des ressources financières sont à même de se lancer sur ces marchés. Ainsi on peut s'attendre à ce que les exportateurs dans des pays avec des systèmes financiers développés survivent plus longtemps. En particulier nous mettons en évidence l'effet positif du niveau de développement financier du pays exportateur sur la durée de survie des exportations, en considérant les industries largement dépendantes en finances externes