Working Paper

Why do financial systems differ? History matters


Abstract: We describe a dynamic model of financial intermediation in which fundamental characteristics of the economy imply a unique equilibrium path of bank and financial market lending. Yet we also show that economies whose fundamental characteristics have converged may continue to have very different financial structures. Because setting up financial markets is costly in our model, economies that emphasize financial market lending are more likely to continue doing so in the future, all else equal.

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Bibliographic Information

Provider: Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

Part of Series: Center for Latin America Working Papers

Publication Date: 2004

Number: 0304