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Financial Development and Inequality: Brazil 1985-99

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  • Meyer Bittencourt, Manoel F.

Abstract

We examine the impact that financial development had on earnings inequality in Brazil in the 1980's and 90's. The empirical evidence, based on panel time series and time series data, shows that more broad access to financial and credit markets had a significant and robust effect in reducing inequality during the period investigated. We suggest that this is not only because the poor can invest the acquired credit in all sorts of productive activities, but also because those with access to financial markets can insulate themselves against recurrent poor macroeconomic performance, which is exemplified by extreme inflation rates. The main implication of the results is that a seemingly non-distortionary policy, such as more credit aimed at the poor, alleviates the high inequality present in Brazil and consequently improves welfare without distorting economic efficiency.

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  • Meyer Bittencourt, Manoel F., 2006. "Financial Development and Inequality: Brazil 1985-99," Proceedings of the German Development Economics Conference, Berlin 2006 5, Verein für Socialpolitik, Research Committee Development Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:gdec06:4728
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    Cited by:

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    3. Santos ALIMI, 2014. "Inflation and Financial Sector Performance: the Case of Nigeria," Timisoara Journal of Economics and Business, West University of Timisoara, Romania, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, vol. 7(1), pages 55-69.
    4. Bittencourt, Manoel, 2011. "Inflation and financial development: Evidence from Brazil," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 91-99.
    5. Siong Hook Law & Hui Boon Tan, 2009. "The Role Of Financial Development On Income Inequality In Malaysia," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 34(2), pages 153-168, December.
    6. Ziv Chinzara & Radhika Lahiri, 2012. "Economic growth and inequality patterns in the presence of costly technology adoption and uncertainty," School of Economics and Finance Discussion Papers and Working Papers Series 280, School of Economics and Finance, Queensland University of Technology.
    7. Kumar Debasis Dutta & Mallika Saha, 2023. "Does financial development cause sustainable development? A PVAR approach," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 56(2), pages 879-917, April.
    8. Roya Taherifar & Mark J. Holmes & Gazi M. Hassan, 2023. "Does economic openness matter in the impact of financial development on income inequality?," Working Papers in Economics 23/04, University of Waikato.
    9. Monal Abdel-Baki, 2011. "The efficacy of the Egyptian bank reform plan in mitigating the impact of the global financial crisis," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 44(3), pages 221-241, August.
    10. Zhuang, Juzhong & Gunatilake, Herath & Niimi, Yoko & Ehsan Khan, Muhammad & Jiang, Yi & Hasan, Rana & Khor, Niny & S. Lagman-Martin, Anneli & Bracey, Pamela & Huang, Biao, 2009. "Financial Sector Development, Economic Growth, and Poverty Reduction: A Literature Review," ADB Economics Working Paper Series 173, Asian Development Bank.
    11. Muhammad Shahbaz & Faridul Islam, 2011. "Financial Development And Income Inequality In Pakistan: An Application Of Ardl Approach," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 36(1), pages 35-58, March.
    12. Cigdem KARIS & Dilek Cil, 2024. "The Impact of Financial Development on Income Inequality: Evidence from OECD Countries," Istanbul Business Research, Istanbul University Business School, vol. 53(1), pages 103-118, April.
    13. Peter Mikek, 2023. "Financial deepening and income inequality: is there a financial Kuznetz curve in Latin America?," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 13(1), pages 103-125, March.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Financial development and markets; credit; inequality and welfare; inflation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
    • O54 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Latin America; Caribbean
    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution

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