(a) Examine the effects of financial development on economic growth via productivity channel

This assignment focuses on Finance and Economic Growth covering various aspects such as Foreign Bank Entry, Financial Development, Institutional Environment and Economic Growth, Financial Integration, Stability and Regulation, and Financial Inclusion and Inclusive Growth.

1. Finance and Economic Growth

(a) Examine the effects of financial development on economic growth via productivity channel

(b) Explore the issue of causality between finance and growth

(c) Explore the link between Financial Structures and Economic Growth

(d) Critically discuss whether financial intermediation facilitates financing of start-ups and small businesses

(e) Explore the effects of financial intermediation on economic growth in emerging economies

2. Foreign Bank Entry: Implications for the Domestic Financial System and Real Economy

(a) Explore whether financial systems and foreign capital are substitutes or complements (Do FDI crowd out/in domestic investment?)

(b) Critically discuss how foreign bank entry affects the financial development and its implications for the real sector in transition economies

3. Financial Development, Institutional Environment and Economic Growth

(a) Examine how political institutions affect financial development with further implications for economic growth

(b) Critically examine whether legal institutions matter for financial development with further implications for economic growth.

(c) Critically examine the role of corruption in bank lending

4. Financial Integration, Stability and Regulation

(a) Examine the impact of financial integration on growth (you may also discuss this in the context of Central and Eastern Europe)

(b) Examine the relationship between Financial Liberalization/or Financial Development and Poverty/or Inequality

(c) Evaluate the effects of financial stability focused policies on other aspects of financial development

(d) Discuss whether there is need for a tighter state regulation to improve the stability and functioning of the financial system?

5. Financial Inclusion and Inclusive Growth

Using the IMF Financial Inclusion dataset, examine whether financial inclusion can ensure inclusive growth, focusing, for example, on how financial inclusion is associated with poverty reduction, inequality. Within this topic you can also look at how financial inclusion may facilitate entrepreneurial entry, looking at gender differences. In this case, you would be required to merge IMF FI indicators with individual-level Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Dataset which contains information on entrepreneurial rates and gender.

THE PRICE INCLUDES SOFTWARE WORK