Economic Globalization and Financial Development: Empirical Evidence from India and Sri Lanka

The paper examines the nexus between economic globalization, financial development and institutional reform in India and Sri Lanka during the period 1990–2017. Using the panel ARDL method, the study finds the long-run relationship between financial development, economic globalization, and institutional reforms. From the short-run equation, the study finds the negative and statistically significant impact of economic globalization on financial development in India whereas Sri Lanka has a positive impact of institutional quality on financial development. Then, the study finds no short-run causality between financial development, economic globalization and institutional reforms. However, the study finds bi-direction strong causality between economic globalization and financial development. Further, the study finds uni-directional strong causality from institutional quality to financial development and economic globalization. Moreover, there is an existence of long-run causality between financial development, economic globalization and institutional quality. For the robustness of the results, the study considers the financial market as a proxy for financial development. Then, the study applies the panel ARDL test and find the consistency in the results. The policymakers in India and Sri Lanka should focus on institutional reforms so that it can reap the benefit of economic globalization. In turn, the quality of institutional reforms can thereby lead to financial development.