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Financial openness, democracy, and redistributive policy

Author

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  • Dailami, Monsoor

Abstract

The debate about the relationship between democratic forms of government and the free movement of capital across borders dates to the 18th century. It has regained prominence as capital on a massive scale has become increasingly mobile and as free economies experience continuous pressure from rapidly changing technology, market integration, changing consumer preferences, and intensified competition. These changes imply greater uncertainty about citizens'future income positions, which could prompt them to seek insurance through the marketplace or through constitutionally arranged income redistribution. As more countries move toward democracy, the availability of such insurance mechanisms to citizens is key if political pressure for capital controls is to be averted and if public support for an open, liberal international financial order is to be maintained. The author briefly reviews how today's international financial system evolved from one of mostly closed capital accounts immediately after World War II to today's enormous, largely free-flowing market. Drawing on insights from the literature on public choice and constitutional political economy, the author develops an analytical framework for a welfare cost-benefit analysis of financial openness to international capital flows. The main welfare benefits of financial openness derive from greater economic efficiency and increased opportunities for risk diversification. The welfare costs relate to the cost of insurance used as a mechanism for coping with the risks of financial volatility. These insurance costs are the economic losses associated with redistribution, including moral hazard, rent-seeking, and rent-avoidance. A cross-sectional analysis of a large sample of developed and developing countries shows the positive correlation between democracy (as defined by political and civil liberty) and financial openness. More rigorous econometric investigation using logit analysis and controlling for level of income also shows that redistributive social policies are key in determining the likelihood that countries can successfully combine an openness to international capital mobility with democratic forms of government.

Suggested Citation

  • Dailami, Monsoor, 2000. "Financial openness, democracy, and redistributive policy," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2372, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:2372
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Mattoo, Aaditya & Rathindran, Randeep, 2006. "Measuring Services Trade Liberalization and Its Impact on Economic Growth: An Illustration," Journal of Economic Integration, Center for Economic Integration, Sejong University, vol. 21, pages 64-98.
    3. Alali, Walid Y., 2010. "Role of Political Institutions on Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence," EconStor Preprints 269879, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    4. Kim, Bonghoon & Kenny, Lawrence W., 2007. "Explaining when developing countries liberalize their financial equity markets," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 17(4), pages 387-402, October.
    5. Dilli Raj Khanal, 2007. "Banking and Insurance Services Liberalization and Development in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Malaysia: A Comparative Analysis," Working Papers 4107, Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade (ARTNeT), an initiative of UNESCAP and IDRC, Canada..
    6. Nita Rudra, 2005. "Globalization and the Strengthening of Democracy in the Developing World," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 49(4), pages 704-730, October.
    7. Kozo Kiyota & Barbara Peitsch & Robert M. Stern, 2007. "The Case for Financial Sector Liberalization in Ethiopia," Working Papers 567, Research Seminar in International Economics, University of Michigan.
    8. Barry Eichengreen & David Leblang, 2008. "Democracy And Globalization," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(3), pages 289-334, November.
    9. Alali, Walid Y., 2010. "Role of Political Institutions on Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence," MPRA Paper 115611, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Yung-hsiang Ying & Koyin Chang & Ginny ju-ann Yang & Chen-hsun Lee, 2014. "Measuring co-movement of globalization and democratization in the time–frequency space," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 34(1), pages 206-219.
    11. Geoffrey R D Underhill & Xiaoke Zhang, 2006. "Norms, Legitimacy, and Global Financial Governance," WEF Working Papers 0013, ESRC World Economy and Finance Research Programme, Birkbeck, University of London.
    12. El Khoury, Antoine C. & Savvides, Andreas, 2006. "Openness in services trade and economic growth," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 92(2), pages 277-283, August.

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