International financial integration and economic growth in developing and emerging economies: an empirical investigation

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between international financial integration (IFI), external vulnerability and economic growth. It proposes a taxonomy of typical IFI profiles and applies it to a sample of 90 developing and emerging economies (DEEs) for the 1992–2016 period using a dynamic panel data model. Drawing from a Post Keynesian and Structuralist analytical framework, it argues that what matters for economic growth is less the degree of IFI per se and more the profile, or “quality,” of this integration. The results suggest that DEEs which succeed in integrating into global financial markets under a more balanced and autonomous profile may experience, at best, negligible benefits for economic growth, while a more financially dependent and vulnerable profile exacerbates the risks of financial globalization, undermining growth in the long run. Moreover, the growth path in the latter tends to be more affected by external financial shocks, even though systemic shocks also impact the former.