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Does Inequality Lead to a Financial Crisis? Revisited

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  • Xinhua Gu
  • Bihong Huang
Abstract
Financial crises have been attributed to rising income inequality via its induced high household leverage as observed in the USA and similar economies. Alternatively it has been suggested this is not a general relationship since it was found that inequality had no bearing on crises in 14 advanced countries over 1920–2008; instead, low interest rates and business cycle expansions are found to be the only two robust determinants of credit booms leading to crises. Using a similar dataset, this paper provides no support for the generality of the above findings by embracing country heterogeneity. The paper shows that real evidence still points back to the inequality-leverage–crisis nexus for financialized economies. The implication is that finance can hardly be sustainable under rising inequality.

Suggested Citation

  • Xinhua Gu & Bihong Huang, 2014. "Does Inequality Lead to a Financial Crisis? Revisited," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(3), pages 502-516, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:rdevec:v:18:y:2014:i:3:p:502-516
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/rode.12099
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    Cited by:

    1. Claudius Gräbner & Philipp Heimberger & Jakob Kapeller & Bernhard Schütz, 2017. "Is Europe disintegrating? Macroeconomic divergence, structural polarization, trade and fragility," Economics working papers 2017-15, Department of Economics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria.
    2. de Haan, Jakob & Sturm, Jan-Egbert, 2017. "Finance and income inequality: A review and new evidence," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 171-195.
    3. van Netten, Jamie, 2023. "The relationship between inequality and bank credit in Australia," Warwick-Monash Economics Student Papers 54, Warwick Monash Economics Student Papers.
    4. Bashir Ahmad Joo & Simtiha Ishaq Mir, 2024. "Evolution of the Household Debt Narrative: A PRISMA-compliant Systematic Literature Review," Paradigm, , vol. 28(1), pages 84-100, June.
    5. Xinhua Gu & Chun Kwok Lei & Qingbin Zhao & Nian Liu, 2024. "Different experiences of Asian emerging‐market economies in the two major financial crises," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(3), pages 3286-3308, July.
    6. Sturm, Jan-Egbert & De Haan, Jakob, 2016. "Finance and income inequality revisited," VfS Annual Conference 2016 (Augsburg): Demographic Change 145660, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    7. Areosa, Waldyr Dutra & Areosa, Marta B.M., 2016. "The inequality channel of monetary transmission," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 214-230.
    8. Yamarik, Steven & El-Shagi, Makram & Yamashiro, Guy, 2016. "Does inequality lead to credit growth? Testing the Rajan hypothesis using state-level data," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 63-67.
    9. Oliver Denk & Boris Cournède, 2015. "Finance and income inequality in OECD countries," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1224, OECD Publishing.
    10. Stockhammer, Engelbert & Wildauer, Rafael, 2018. "Expenditure Cascades, Low Interest Rates or Property Booms? Determinants of Household Debt in OECD Countries," Review of Behavioral Economics, now publishers, vol. 5(2), pages 85-121, September.
    11. Boris Cournède & Oliver Denk & Peter Hoeller, 2015. "Finance and Inclusive Growth," OECD Economic Policy Papers 14, OECD Publishing.
    12. Bodea, Cristina & Houle, Christian & Kim, Hyunwoo, 2021. "Do financial crises increase income inequality?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    13. Gu, Xinhua & Tam, Pui Sun & Lei, Chun Kwok, 2021. "The effects of inequality in the 1997–98 Asian crisis and the 2008–09 global tsunami: The case of five Asian economies," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    14. Jon Frost & Ruben van Tilburg, 2014. "Financial globalization or great financial expansion? The impact of capital flows on credit and banking crises," DNB Working Papers 441, Netherlands Central Bank, Research Department.
    15. Vijverberg, Chu-Ping C., 2024. "Income inequality and household debt: A U.S. state-level spatial analysis," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    16. Schulz, Jan & Mayerhoffer, Daniel M., 2021. "A network approach to consumption," BERG Working Paper Series 173, Bamberg University, Bamberg Economic Research Group.
    17. Ionuţ JIANU, 2017. "The impact of private sector credit on income inequalities in European Union (15 member states)," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania / Editura Economica, vol. 0(2(611), S), pages 61-74, Summer.
    18. de Haan, Jakob & Sturm, Jan-Egbert, 2017. "Finance and income inequality: A review and new evidence," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 171-195.
    19. Xinhua Gu & Bihong Huang & Pui Sun Tam & Yang Zhang, 2015. "Inequality and Saving: Further Evidence from Integrated Economies," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(1), pages 15-30, February.
    20. Suzuki, Shiba, 2018. "Inequality and asset fire sales," MPRA Paper 90906, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    21. Ionut Jianu, 2020. "The impact of private sector credit on income inequalities in European Union (15 member states)," Papers 2007.11408, arXiv.org.
    22. El-Shagi, Makram & Fidrmuc, Jarko & Yamarik, Steven, 2020. "Inequality and credit growth in Russian regions," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 550-558.
    23. Bellettini, Giorgio & Delbono, Flavio & Karlström, Peter & Pastorello, Sergio, 2019. "Income inequality and banking crises: Testing the level hypothesis directly," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    24. Jianu, Ionuț, 2017. "The impact of private sector credit on income inequalities in European Union (15 member states)," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 0(2 (611)), pages 61-74.
    25. Brett, Craig & Sarkar, Saikat, 2022. "Financial bubbles and income inequality," MPRA Paper 112070, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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