Social Capital and Financial Market Development

In the 1990s, institutions became an important area of focus when investigating the process of financial development and the success or failure of financial reforms. This was partly a consequence of the failure of many developing countries that had liberalized their financial systems to realize the expected benefits from such reforms. For example, Demetriades and Andrianova (2004) argue that the strength of institutions, such as financial regulation and the rule of law, may determine the success or failure of financial reforms. Chinn and Ito (2006) also suggest that financial systems with a higher degree of legal/institutional development tend to benefit more from financial liberalization than do those with a lower degree. Mishkin (2009) points out that a legal system that enforces contracts quickly and fairly is a prerequisite for supporting strong property rights and financial development. Thus, eliminating corruption is essential to strengthening property rights and the legal system, which will further enhance the healthy functioning of economic and financial systems. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.