Financial Globalization Essay

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Question 2 Discuss the causes of financial globalization and evaluate the positive and negative influences on developing countries. Financial globalization is an aggregate concept that refers to the expanding global linkages through cross-border capital flows. In brief, financial globalization is defined as the financial integration of a country with international financial markets and institutions (Prasad et al, 2003; Yeyati & Williams, 2011). Formerly, there were only few countries and sectors engaged in financial globalization. Since the 1970s, however, the world witnessed the beginning of a new wave of financial integration, when financial liberalization took place and a wider range of participants from developing countries began to join in financial globalization characterized the post Bretton woods era, which subsequently led to a more integrated global economy towards the 1990s (Schmukler, Zoido & Halac, n.d.). Due to the depth and the growing role of financial globalization, it is essential to examine its causes and impacts on developing countries, including the benefits and risks. The major causes that brought about the financial globalization lie on three secular trends. First is the technological development in information technology (IT) and telecommunications. Many researchers often define it as the technological determinism. This is because the technological changes are seen as the driving factor contributing to the integration of international financial markets, and thereby leading to financial globalization. According to Garrett (2000), the recent decades of technological development has significantly contributed to the substantial increase in the potential efficiency gains from international financial integration. Since the borderless Internet is evolving, all transportation and information costs reduce significantly, and global
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