Abstract
This article analyzes the impact of free-banking on the banking sector in Latin America in the 19th and early 20th centuries. I use data for seven countries to compare the entry of banks and the growth of bank output prior and after the enactment of free-banking laws to determine whether free-banking (by establishing general requirements for granting note-issuance rights) lowered barriers to entry. The results show that in most Latin American countries the adoption of free-banking laws did not cause in the short run an increase in bank entry and in bank output growth. © 2012 Asociación Española de Historia Económica. Published by Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.
| Original language | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 131-142 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Investigaciones de Historia Economica |
| Volume | 9 |
| State | Published - 1 Oct 2013 |