Prague Economic Papers 2016, 25(4):476-493 | DOI: 10.18267/j.pep.572

Determinants of Development of the Mutual Fund Industry. A Socio-Cultural Approach

Ingrid-Mihaela Dragotă¹, Delia Tatu-Cornea², Narcis Tulbure³

¹ Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania

² European Business School Paris, Paris, France

³ Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania

The mutual fund industry has grown considerably in many countries since the 1990s. Its evolution has been explained primarily in terms of its economic and financial determinants. We draw on a dynamic set of measures for socio-cultural values to explain the differential development of mutual funds across the world. Using a sample of 38 countries for the period 1996-2009, we find a positive relation between the perception of happiness and the size of the mutual fund industry. Freedom of choice, a feature of countries that are dominated by individualistic behaviours and values, has a positive impact on the development of the industry. We also explain the positive relation between individuals' preference for private ownership and the development of mutual funds. Moreover, we prove that the industry is larger in developed countries with greater stock market liquidity, with low ratios of remittance inflows to GDP, and in which the industry is older.

Klíčová slova: socio-cultural values, mutual funds, financial development

JEL classification: A13, G23, Z13

Zveřejněno: 1. leden 2016  Zobrazit citaci