The effect of Strategic Sale of Banks: Evidence from Indonesia

We examine the effect of strategic sale—the sale of banks to strategic foreign investors—on banks’ performance. The Government of Indonesia implemented such a policy as a part of bank restructuring in the aftermath of the 1998 banking crisis. Using difference-in-difference models, we find that strategic sale leads to 12%-15% cost reduction. These results are robust to the use of other estimators such as difference-in-difference matching-estimators and stochastic-frontier analysis, to that of other performance measures such as return on assets and net interest margin, and also to that of different types of samples. These suggest that strategic sale could play an important role in restructuring troubled banks in developing countries.banking crisis, recapitalized banks, the sale of assets, difference- in-difference models, matching estimator

Do Banks Respond to Capital Requirement? Evidence from Indonesia

Using dynamic panel data models, we examine the effect of capital requirement on banks’ behavior in Indonesia. We find inconclusive results. Some banks tend to comply with capital requirement: They increase their capital ratio when their CAR is lower than, or falling towards, the eight percent regulatory minimum. However, most of our results are statistically significant at 20-30% level of significance only. Moreover, our results are mostly driven by private domestic banks and heavily-undercapitalized banks that were closely monitored by regulator in the aftermath of the 1998 crisis. Whether, in normal circumstances, banks in developing countries like Indonesia comply with capital requirement, therefore, remains questionable. This implies that, if regulators in developing countries continue relying on capital regulation, they would also need to improve their supervision capacity, increase the transparency of financial reporting, and strengthen market monitoring of banks.banking crisis, capital requirement, bank regulation, dynamic panel data

Cross-Border M&A Inflows and the Quality of Institutions: A Cross-Country Panel Data Analysis

This paper provides an empirical explanation to the observed disparity in cross-border M&A inflows to developing and developed countries over the last two decades. We show two main results. First, the disparity can be attributed to the difference in the quality of institutions between the two groups of countries. Second, the gain from reforming institutions in developing countries is smaller than that in developed countries. These findings suggest that, with the current speed of institutional reforms in developing countries, the disparity is likely to persist.cross-border M&A inflows, quality of institutions, developing and developed countries, pooled-data and panel data analysis, correlated random effects

Does Education Improve Health? Evidence from Indonesia

<p>I examine the effects of education on health in Indonesia using an exogenous variation in education induced by an extension of Indonesia’s school term length in 1978–1979, a natural experiment that fits a regression discontinuity design. I find the longer school year increases educational attainment and wages, but I do not find evidence that education improves health. I explore some mechanisms through which education may affect health, but education does not seem to promote healthy lifestyles, increase the use of modern healthcare services, or improve access to health insurance; if anything, education improves only cognitive capacity.</p

Do Banks Respond to Capital Requirement? Evidence from Indonesia

Using dynamic panel data models, we examine the effect of capital requirement on banks behavior in Indonesia. We find inconclusive results. Some banks tend to comply with capital requirement : They increase their capital ratio when their CAR is lower than, or falling towards, the eight percent regulatory minimum. However, most of our results are statistically significant at 20-30% level of significance only. Moreover, our results are mostly driven by private domestic banks and heavily-undercapitalized banks that were closely monitored by regulator in the aftermath of the 1998 crisis. Whether, in normal circumstances, banks in developing countries like Indonesia comply with capital requirement, therefore, remains questionable. This implies that, if regulators in developing countries continue relying on capital regulation, they would also need to improve their supervision capacity, increase the transparency of financial reporting, and strengthen market monitoring of banks.banking crisis, capital requirement, bank regulation, dynamic panel data

The impact of the strategic sale of restructured banks: evidence from Indonesia

We examine the effect of strategic sale, which is the sale of banks to strategic foreign investors, on bank performance. The Government of Indonesia implemented such a policy as part of a bank restructuring in the aftermath of the 1998 banking crisis. Using difference-in-differences models, we find that strategic sale leads to a 12–15% cost reduction. These results are robust to the use of other estimators such as difference-in-differences matching estimators and stochastic-frontier analysis, to that of other performance measures such as return on assets and net interest margin, and to that of different sample types. These results suggest that strategic sale could play an important role in restructuring troubled banks in developing countries

Remittance and Migrant Households' Consumption- and Saving Patterns: Evidence from Indonesia

We examine the effect of remittances on the migrant households consumption and saving patterns as well as their living standard using the Indonesia Family Life Survey data. Using matching - and difference-in-differences matching estimators, we find that remittances seem to change the household consumption patterns. However, we do not find strong evidence that indicates remittances improve these households' living standard. Moreover, it seems that remittance households do not enjoy better education or healthcare, which suggests that remittances may not play an important role in speeding up economic development through these two means. If anything, we show that remittance households manage to invest some of their income in the traditional forms of investment such as in house and jewelry (i.e., gold).Remittances; Matching estimator

Banks' Types of Ownership and Efficiency: Evidence from Indonesia

We examine the relationship between banks' types of ownership and banks' efficiency using Greene's "true" panel data stochastic frontier model. We find that, even after taking unobserved heterogeneity more properly into account, state-owned banks in Indonesia are the least efficient banks and joint-venture banks are the most efficient ones.Banking; Ownership types; Efficiency; Stochastic frontier

Trade Liberalization and the Value of Firms: Stock Market Evidence from Singapore

We examine the e¤ect of the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on the value of frms listed in the Singapore Exchange using event study analysis. Despite the predictability of the FTA negotiation, we find that one event - the removal of the last obstacle to the free trade deal in January 2003 - increases the value of firms in some industries by 2-5%. These results may indicate that trade liberalization and FTAs do increase the value of firms.