The recent global ?nancial crisis has made ?nancial liberalization a topic of great academic and practical interest. This book makes new contributions to the topic by combining fact-?nding, empirical analysis, and theory to examine the relationship between ?nancial liberalization and economic growth. Among its contributions, the book provides detailed country assessments on the effects of ?nancial liberalization, including its striking impact on the banking sector. Although an important goal of ?nancial deregulation has been to help ?nancial institutions better perform their role in intermediating resources, the book models how deregulation may fail to achieve that goal in countries with underdeveloped ?nancial markets and institutions. For that purpose, the book draws on actual experience in Kenya, Malawi, Botswana, and Thailand. This book should constitute important reading for students of ?nancial economics, researchers and general academics, ?nancial practitioners, policymakers, and teachers of economics. North Carolina, USA Steven L. Schwarcz December 2008 Stanley A. Star Professor of Law & Business, Duke University Founding Director, Duke Global Capital Markets Center Durham vii Abstract and Preface The latest global ?nancial and economic crisis of 2008 shows the need to - examine the desirability of ?nancial liberalization and the basis for the view that ?nancial deregulation by itself cannot be considered as a substitute for better economic management. The literature on ?nancial liberalization has identi?ed various mechanisms through which removing controls on interest rates may impact economic growth.
The latest global financial and economic crisis of 2008 has shown the need to re-examine the desirability of financial liberalization. This book is undertaking such a study on the issue of financial and market liberalization by adopting sophisticated econometric methods. It examines the effects of financial liberalization on economic development and social welfare using a case study approach on a sample of three Sub-Saharan African and an Asian country in which financial liberalization reforms were implemented. Further, it highlights some key causes of the failure of reform, and the policies and institutions that are needed to create an environment for successful financial liberalization. From the detailed country assessments, various policies such as effective competition in the banking sector, sound legal system, fiscal discipline and financial institutional development are identified, adoption of which can improve the efficiency of resource allocation, boost savings and impact growth, and thus lead to welfare enhancement.
