The scarcity, high cost, and volatility of banking credit in Latin America make it difficult to achieve high and sustainable growth rates and combat poverty. The 2005 Report on Economic and Social Progress in Latin America, a publication of the Research Department of the IDB, analyzes the macroeconomic, institutional, and microeconomic aspects of the credit sector and proposes options and policies to support the deep and stable bank lending necessary to strengthen economic development.

Acknowledgements
Preface

CONTENTS

Part I Stylized Facts and Summary

Chapter One Introduction
Chapter Two Overview

Part II Banking Crisis Prevention and Resolution

Chapter Three Determinants and Characteristics of Banking Crises
Chapter Four Financial Dollarization
Chapter Five Banking Crisis Resolution
Chapter Six Bank Regulation and Supervision
Chapter Seven Designing Deposit Insurance
Chapter Eight Private Oversight of the Banking Sector: The Role of Market Discipline

Part III The Effects of Market Structure

Chapter Nine Concentration and Competition
Chapter Ten Foreign Banks
Chapter Eleven Should the Government Be in the Banking Business?

Part IV The Role of Economic and Financial Institutions

Chapter Twelve Economywide Institutions and Banking Credit: Protecting Creditor Rights
Chapter Thirteen Information Sharing in Financial Markets
Chapter Fourteen Access to Financing for Small and Medium Enterprises
Chapter Fifteen Foundations of Housing Finance

Part V The Road Ahead in Financial Regulation

Chapter Sixteen The Challenges of Basel II
Chapter Seventeen Money Laundering: What Do We Know?

References
Index

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