IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jecomi/v10y2022i12p313-d997974.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Financial Development and Language Structures

Author

Listed:
  • Gregory W. Caskey

    (Tommy & Victoria Baker School of Business, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, 89 Hagood Avenue, Charleston, SC 29409, USA)

  • Nabamita Dutta

    (Department of Economics, College of Business Administration, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, 1725 State St., La Crosse, WI 54601, USA)

Abstract

Using cross country data, we explore the role of linguistic structures for the financial development of countries. Specially, we investigate if future time reference (FTR), the requirement of an obligatory future tense marking in languages, matters for financial development or not. Our results show that countries speaking weak FTR language or a language not needing a dedicated future tense marking have enhanced financial development relative to countries speaking strong FTR language. Discounting the future less or having a connection between the present and the future—characteristics of weak FTR languages—has implications for caring about saving and investment, having efficient property rights, protection of shareholders and cost of acquiring information. Our results are robust to multiple measures of financial development and inclusion of determinants of the same. Finally, results show that weak FTR language speaking countries benefit more when their financial development is low.

Suggested Citation

  • Gregory W. Caskey & Nabamita Dutta, 2022. "Financial Development and Language Structures," Economies, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-16, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jecomi:v:10:y:2022:i:12:p:313-:d:997974
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7099/10/12/313/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7099/10/12/313/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Levine, Ross & Zervos, Sara, 1998. "Stock Markets, Banks, and Economic Growth," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 88(3), pages 537-558, June.
    2. Arestis, Philip & Demetriades, Panicos O & Luintel, Kul B, 2001. "Financial Development and Economic Growth: The Role of Stock Markets," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 33(1), pages 16-41, February.
    3. Sourafel Girma & Anja Shortland, 2008. "The political economy of financial development," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 60(4), pages 567-596, October.
    4. Bekaert, Geert & Harvey, Campbell R. & Lundblad, Christian, 2005. "Does financial liberalization spur growth?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(1), pages 3-55, July.
    5. Dar, Shafkat Shafi & Sahu, Sohini, 2022. "The effect of language on financial inclusion," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    6. Levine, Ross, 2005. "Finance and Growth: Theory and Evidence," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 12, pages 865-934, Elsevier.
    7. Calderon, Cesar & Liu, Lin, 2003. "The direction of causality between financial development and economic growth," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(1), pages 321-334, October.
    8. Ross Levine & Norman Loayza & Thorsten Beck, 2002. "Financial Intermediation and Growth: Causality and Causes," Central Banking, Analysis, and Economic Policies Book Series, in: Leonardo Hernández & Klaus Schmidt-Hebbel & Norman Loayza (Series Editor) & Klaus Schmidt-Hebbel (Se (ed.),Banking, Financial Integration, and International Crises, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 2, pages 031-084, Central Bank of Chile.
    9. Yuri Quixina & Álvaro Almeida, 2014. "Financial Development and Economic Growth in a Natural Resource Based Economy: Evidence from Angola," FEP Working Papers 542, Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Economia do Porto.
    10. Licht, Amir N. & Goldschmidt, Chanan & Schwartz, Shalom H., 2007. "Culture rules: The foundations of the rule of law and other norms of governance," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 659-688, December.
    11. Masten, Arjana Brezigar & Coricelli, Fabrizio & Masten, Igor, 2008. "Non-linear growth effects of financial development: Does financial integration matter?," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 295-313, March.
    12. Hicks, Daniel L. & Santacreu-Vasut, Estefania & Shoham, Amir, 2015. "Does mother tongue make for women's work? Linguistics, household labor, and gender identity," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 19-44.
    13. Christopoulos, Dimitris K. & Tsionas, Efthymios G., 2004. "Financial development and economic growth: evidence from panel unit root and cointegration tests," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(1), pages 55-74, February.
    14. Beck, Thorsten & Levine, Ross & Loayza, Norman, 2000. "Finance and the sources of growth," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(1-2), pages 261-300.
    15. Beck, Thorsten, 2002. "Financial development and international trade: Is there a link?," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(1), pages 107-131, June.
    16. Ibrahim, Muazu & Sare, Yakubu Awudu, 2018. "Determinants of financial development in Africa: How robust is the interactive effect of trade openness and human capital?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 18-26.
    17. Bhattacharyya, Sambit, 2013. "Political origins of financial structure," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(4), pages 979-994.
    18. Boyd, John H. & Levine, Ross & Smith, Bruce D., 2001. "The impact of inflation on financial sector performance," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 221-248, April.
    19. Baltagi, Badi H. & Demetriades, Panicos O. & Law, Siong Hook, 2009. "Financial development and openness: Evidence from panel data," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(2), pages 285-296, July.
    20. Huybens, Elisabeth & Smith, Bruce D., 1999. "Inflation, financial markets and long-run real activity," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 283-315, April.
    21. Rajan, Raghuram G. & Zingales, Luigi, 2003. "The great reversals: the politics of financial development in the twentieth century," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(1), pages 5-50, July.
    22. Mavisakalyan, Astghik & Tarverdi, Yashar & Weber, Clas, 2018. "Talking in the present, caring for the future: Language and environment," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(4), pages 1370-1387.
    23. Adeniyi, Oluwatosin & Oyinlola, Abimbola & Omisakin, Olusegun & Egwaikhide, Festus O., 2015. "Financial development and economic growth in Nigeria: Evidence from threshold modelling," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 11-21.
    24. Chen, Josie I. & He, Tai-Sen & Riyanto, Yohanes E., 2019. "The effect of language on economic behavior: Examining the causal link between future tense and time preference in the lab," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    25. M. Keith Chen, 2013. "The Effect of Language on Economic Behavior: Evidence from Savings Rates, Health Behaviors, and Retirement Assets," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 103(2), pages 690-731, April.
    26. Huang, Yongfu, 2010. "Political Institutions and Financial Development: An Empirical Study," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(12), pages 1667-1677, December.
    27. Xu, Zhenhui, 2000. "Financial Development, Investment, and Economic Growth," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 38(2), pages 331-344, April.
    28. Beck , Thorsten & Demirguc-Kunt, Asli & Levine, Ross, 2009. "Financial institutions and markets across countries and over time - data and analysis," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4943, The World Bank.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Trunin, Pavel (Трунин, Павел), 2015. "Analysis of the Level of Development of the Financial System in the Russian Federation [Анализ Уровня Развития Финансовой Системы В Российской Федерации]," Published Papers mn38, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.
    2. Gnangnon, Sèna Kimm, 2019. "Financial Development and Tax Revenue in Developing Countries: Investigating the International Trade and Economic Growth Channels," EconStor Preprints 206628, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    3. Michiel Bijlsma & Andrei Dubovik, 2014. "Banks, Financial Markets and Growth in Developed Countries: a Survey of the empirical literature," CPB Discussion Paper 266.rdf, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    4. Nazima Ellahi & Adiqa Kausar Kiani & Muhammad Awais & Hina Affandi & Rabia Saghir & Sarah Qaim, 2021. "Investigating the Institutional Determinants of Financial Development: Empirical Evidence From SAARC Countries," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(2), pages 21582440211, April.
    5. Michiel Bijlsma & Andrei Dubovik, 2014. "Banks, Financial Markets and Growth in Developed Countries: a Survey of the empirical literature," CPB Discussion Paper 266, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    6. Popov, Alexander, 2017. "Evidence on finance and economic growth," Working Paper Series 2115, European Central Bank.
    7. Chung-Hua Shen & Chien-Chiang Lee & Shyh-Wei Chen & Zixiong Xie, 2011. "Roles played by financial development in economic growth: application of the flexible regression model," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 41(1), pages 103-125, August.
    8. Demirguc-Kunt, Asli, 2006. "Finance and economic development : policy choices for developing countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3955, The World Bank.
    9. Rosa Capolupo, 2018. "Finance, Investment and Growth: Evidence for Italy," Economic Notes, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA, vol. 47(1), pages 145-186, February.
    10. James B. Ang, 2008. "A Survey Of Recent Developments In The Literature Of Finance And Growth," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(3), pages 536-576, July.
    11. Abdul Rahman & Muhammad Arshad Khan & Lanouar Charfeddine, 2020. "Does Financial Sector Promote Economic Growth in Pakistan? Empirical Evidences From Markov Switching Model," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(4), pages 21582440209, October.
    12. Su-Yin Cheng & Han Hou, 2022. "Financial development, life insurance and growth: Evidence from 17 European countries," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 47(4), pages 835-860, October.
    13. Muhammad Shahbaz & Ijaz Ur Rehman & Ahmed Taneem Muzaffar, 2015. "Re-Visiting Financial Development and Economic Growth Nexus: The Role of Capitalization in Bangladesh," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 83(3), pages 452-471, September.
    14. Senra Hodelin, Reynaldo, 2022. "Public banking and economic growth: The experiences of 10 countries since the 1950s until 2017," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 46(1).
    15. Raja Almarzoqi & Sami Ben Naceur & Akshay Kotak, 2015. "What Matters for Financial Development and Stability?," IMF Working Papers 2015/173, International Monetary Fund.
    16. repec:ipg:wpaper:2014-485 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Zhang, Jin & Wang, Lanfang & Wang, Susheng, 2012. "Financial development and economic growth: Recent evidence from China," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(3), pages 393-412.
    18. Chris Doucouliagos & Jakob de Haan & Jan-Egbert Sturm, 2022. "What drives financial development? A Meta-regression analysis [A new database of financial reforms]," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 74(3), pages 840-868.
    19. Yongfu Huang & Jonathan Temple, 2005. "Does external trade promote financial development?," Bristol Economics Discussion Papers 05/575, School of Economics, University of Bristol, UK.
    20. Levine, Ross, 2005. "Finance and Growth: Theory and Evidence," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 12, pages 865-934, Elsevier.
    21. Huang, Ho-Chuan & Lin, Shu-Chin & Kim, Dong-Hyeon & Yeh, Chih-Chuan, 2010. "Inflation and the finance-growth nexus," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 229-236, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jecomi:v:10:y:2022:i:12:p:313-:d:997974. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.