Publisher:
Lund University, School of Economics and Management, Department of Economics, Lund
Abstract:
This paper provides the first comparative analysis of different types of publicly owned banks operating in China between 1997 and 2008. Using principal component analysis and Granger-causality tests, this study shows that China's state-owned commercial banks and rural credit cooperatives did not promote GDP growth during the observation period. State-owned commercial banks even had a negative effect on growth in the manufacturing sector. By contrast, state policy banks and joint stock commercial banks did promote domestic growth. China's experience presents a more nuanced picture of state banking that goes beyond the role of ownership to consider functional and institutional differences.