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Financial Sector Reforms, Bank Performance and Economic Growth: Evidence from Zambia
Author(s) -
Mwenda Abraham,
Mutoti Noah
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
african development review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.654
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 1467-8268
pISSN - 1017-6772
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8268.2010.00272.x
Subject(s) - economics , inflation (cosmology) , financial deepening , openness to experience , financial sector , financial sector development , monetary economics , endogenous growth theory , proxy (statistics) , financial system , finance , financial intermediary , macroeconomics , economic growth , psychology , social psychology , physics , machine learning , theoretical physics , computer science , human capital
: This paper investigates the effects of market‐based financial sector reforms on the competitiveness and efficiency of commercial banks, and economic growth, in Zambia. The results show that reforms adopted in Phase II (strengthening of regulatory and supervisory, payments and settlements, and financial operations frameworks) and Phase III (implementation of a comprehensive financial sector development plan) had significant positive effects on bank cost efficiency. Macroeconomic variables such as per capita GDP and inflation were insignificant. Further, using an endogenous growth model in which industrial production is a proxy for GDP growth, it was found that bank cost efficiency, financial depth, Phase II and III financial sector reforms, the degree of economic openness, and rate of inflation were significant determinants of economic growth. Phase II policies and the inflation rate have negative effects while the rest of the variables have positive effects on economic growth. Some plausible policy lessons are offered.