Does Financial Inclusion Amplify Output Volatility in Emerging and Developing Economies?

This paper empirically investigates if, in what direction, and under what circumstances financial inclusion amplifies or moderates output volatility, which is a matter of concern for monetary policymakers in emerging and developing economies (EMDEs). The empirical estimation for a large panel of over 100 EMDEs spanning the period 1995 to 2013 finds a strong and persistent trade-off between higher financial inclusion and output stability. The paper also finds strong and robust evidence of non-linearity governing this relationship. Countries with high degrees of financial inclusion as well as those that are relatively lower income tend to experience a significant trade-off between financial inclusion and output stability. Further, the paper also finds that reckless financial inclusion coinciding with excessive credit growth tends to worsen output volatility.