Does Law Really Matter for Stock Market Development? The Case of Fiji, 1997–2007
Abstract
In the context of the prominent law-finance-economic growth theory and the continuing debate over it, this paper examines the applicability of the law-stock market development nexus in Fiji, an island economy in the South Pacific region, where economic growth performance has generally been considered disappointing. Results from an analysis of primary and secondary data indicate that stock market development over the 1997-2007 period has been very weak compared with 55 other developed and developing countries. The evidence does not support the frequently stated or implied proposition that strengthening legal institutions is ...
View more >In the context of the prominent law-finance-economic growth theory and the continuing debate over it, this paper examines the applicability of the law-stock market development nexus in Fiji, an island economy in the South Pacific region, where economic growth performance has generally been considered disappointing. Results from an analysis of primary and secondary data indicate that stock market development over the 1997-2007 period has been very weak compared with 55 other developed and developing countries. The evidence does not support the frequently stated or implied proposition that strengthening legal institutions is an essential pre-requisite for furthering stock market development in Fiji. This finding may have implications for other developing economies in the South Pacific and elsewhere.
View less >
View more >In the context of the prominent law-finance-economic growth theory and the continuing debate over it, this paper examines the applicability of the law-stock market development nexus in Fiji, an island economy in the South Pacific region, where economic growth performance has generally been considered disappointing. Results from an analysis of primary and secondary data indicate that stock market development over the 1997-2007 period has been very weak compared with 55 other developed and developing countries. The evidence does not support the frequently stated or implied proposition that strengthening legal institutions is an essential pre-requisite for furthering stock market development in Fiji. This finding may have implications for other developing economies in the South Pacific and elsewhere.
View less >
Journal Title
Fijian Studies: A Journal of Contemporary Fiji
Volume
9
Issue
2
Publisher URI
Subject
Financial Economics