@techreport{NBERw10417,
 title = "Legal Institutions and Financial Development",
 author = "Thorsten Beck and Ross Levine",
 institution = "National Bureau of Economic Research",
 type = "Working Paper",
 series = "Working Paper Series",
 number = "10417",
 year = "2004",
 month = "April",
 URL = "http://www.nber.org/papers/w10417",
 abstract = {Why do some countries have growth-enhancing financial systems, while others do not? Why have some countries developed the necessary investor protection laws and contract-enforcement mechanisms to support financial institutions and markets, while others have not? This paper reviews existing research on the role of legal institutions in shaping financial development.},
}