Impact of financial structure on environmental quality: evidence from panel and disaggregated data

This paper examines two unresolved issues regarding the nexus between financial system development and environmental quality. (i) Does the structure of the financial system matter? (ii) Is there a nonlinear relationship? We employ the newly developed dynamic common correlated effect (CCE) and the dynamic panel generalized method of moments (GMM) estimators in order to address potential endogeneity, heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence in a panel of 58 countries. The panel data analysis reveals that the structure of the financial system matters in safeguarding environmental quality. More precisely, bank-based financial development enhances environmental quality, whereas the impact of market-based financial development is tenuous. We find some evidences of a nonlinear relationship between financial system development and environmental quality. The disaggregated data reveals the countries where financial structure matters for environmental quality, and countries where a nonlinear relationship exists between the variables. Therefore, countries that want to maintain environmental quality should strengthen the development of bank-based financial system. Moreover, effort to develop and reposition the stock markets should be prioritized in countries' environmental policies with a view to sustaining environmental quality.