01760cas a2200241 a 4500 AALejournalIMF005650 230101c9999 xx r poo 0 0eng d 5.00 USD 9781451871937 1018-5941 BD-DhAAL BD-DhAAL Claessens, Stijn. Competition in the Financial Sector : Overview of Competition Policies / Stijn Claessens. Washington, D.C. : International Monetary Fund, 2009. 1 online resource (20 pages) IMF Working Papers <strong>Off-Campus Access:</strong> No User ID or Password Required <strong>On-Campus Access:</strong> No User ID or Password Required Electronic access restricted to authorized BRAC University faculty, staff and students As in other sectors, competition in finance matters for allocative, productive and dynamic efficiency. Theory suggests, however, that unfettered competition is not first best given the special features of finance. I review these analytics and describe how to assess the degree of competition in markets for financial services. Existing research shows that the degree of competition greatly varies across markets, largely driven by barriers to entry and exit. I argue that changes in financial services industries require updated competition policies and institutional arrangements, but that practices still fall short. Furthermore, I show that developing countries face some specific competition challenges. Mode of access: Internet IMF Working Papers; Working Paper ; No. 2009/045 Full text available on IMF http://elibrary.imf.org/view/journals/001/2009/045/001.2009.issue-045-en.xml IMF e-Library