MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS HOCHIMINH CITY ------------------------------- PHUNG THI LAN NHI THE IMPLICATIONS OF ECONOMIC FREEDOM ON BANK EFFICIENCY: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE OF VIETNAMESE COMMERCIAL BANKS MASTER THESIS IN ECONOMICS HoChiMinh City – 2020 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS HOCHIMINH CITY ------------------------------- PHUNG THI LAN NHI THE IMPLICATIONS OF ECONOMIC FREEDOM ON BANK EFFICIENCY: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE OF VIETNAMESE COMMERCIAL BANKS Major: Banking and Finance (Research Orientation) Major code: 8340201 MASTER THESIS IN ECONOMICS Supervisor: DR. LE DAT CHI HoChiMinh City – 2020 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com DECLARATION This is to certify that this thesis entitled: “the implication of economic freedom on bank efficiency: an empirical evidence of Vietnamese commercial banks” which I submitted to fulfill the requirements for the degree of master in finance. This thesis is only my original work and due supervision as well as acknowledgment have been made in the text to material used. Ho Chi Minh City, 6th December 2019 Author Phung Thi Lan Nhi TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION TABLE OF CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES ABSTRACT CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION.
Research scope and methods. 3 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW. Theory of economic freedom. The concept of economic freedom.
Economic freedom Indicators. Theory of bank efficiency. The definition of Bank efficiency. Bank efficiency - financial ratios approach.
Bank efficiency - Production Possibility frontier (PPF) approach. Economic freedom and bank efficiency. Freedom from corruption. 26 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.
Loans/ Total assets (Credit risk). 26 CHAPTER 3: DATA AND METHODOLOGY. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The bootstrap DEA method.
Variables for DEA. Variables for truncated regression. 41 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. Truncated regression estimates.
Vietnam economic freedom overview. First stage result - Bank efficiency. Second stage result - Truncated regression result. Conclusion and policy implication.
66 REFERENCES APPENDIX TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com ABBREVIATIONS GCC Gulf Cooperation Council BE Bank efficiency EF Economic freedom FF Financial freedom PCBs Private Commercial Banks SOBs State Owned Banks SSA Sub- Saharan African TE Technical efficiency TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1: The overview of input and output variables to estimate bank efficiency scores (DEA) in first stage .2: The overview of explanatory variables to regress in second stage .1: A summary statistics of variables used to estimate the bank efficiency (first stage) in Vietnamese commercial banks from 2010 to 2018 .2: A summary statistics of variables used for truncated regression (second stage) to investigate economic freedom effects on bank efficiency during period 2010- 2018 .3: Viet Nam economic freedom index 2010-2018 .4: Correlation matrix among variables in truncated regression .5: Banking efficiency (TE) scores in the period 2009-2018 .6: the distribution of Vietnamese bank Technical Efficiency scores 2010- 2018 .7: Second stage result - Truncated regression result .8: Merger and Acquisition in Viet Nam commercial banks 2012-2015 .10: Summarize result between second step regression and sensitivity test. 64 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.2: Input- Oriented approach (IO) .3: Output- Oriented approach (OO).1: Variable Returns to scale Model (VRS) and constant Returns to scale Model (CRS) .1: Graph of average efficiencies of Viet Nam banks 2010-2018. 52 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com THE IMPLICATIONS OF ECONOMIC FREEDOM ON BANK EFFICIENCY: AN EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE OF VIETNAMESE COMMERCIAL BANKS Abstract The effect of economic freedom on the economy’s well-being has been widely documented. However, it is absent from the literature of empirical evidence about effect of economic freedom on the banking sector.
This study employs the overall economic freedom index and the index’s components which are derived from Heritage Foundation to examine their effect on Vietnamese commercial bank’s effieciency. In first procedure, we obtain efficiency scores of 39 banks in Viet Nam using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), over the period 2010-2018 with 299 observations. Then second step, the efficiency scores estimated from DEA method will be regressed on economic freedom indexes, applying truncated regression model combined with bootstrapped confidence intervals while controlling for bank specific characteristics. Additionally, we carry out a sensitive analysis using a fractional logit estimator as a robustness check.
We find strong evidence supporting that far greater economic freedom positively impacts the efficiency of banks in Vietnamese banking sector. However, the influence of different economic freedom counterparts on efficiency banking sector is not as uniform as economic freedom overall index such as the higher the degree of property rights, business freedom and freedom from corruption, the better the bank’s performance while negative effects of financial freedom on bank efficiency. Besides, the empirical findings also show the positive relationship between capitalization and bank efficiency as well as credit risk and bank efficiency Keywords: Banks, economic freedom, bank efficiency, DEA, truncated regression bootstrap, Viet Nam TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Efficiency is the most important aim of most business including banks, and bank efficiency is a widely discussed topic because of its vital roles in creating a stable and profitable banking sector then impact on economic growth in each country. As a perspective that individual’s liberty to pursue its own economic goals will lead to efficient outcomes is as instinctive as the economics theory itself, we have seen that most countries trying to close to economic freedom.
However, most of studies recently just focus on the relationship between economic freedom (EF) and economic growth, less studies have been carried about effect of economic freedom on banking sector, which is one of the most important financial intermediary playing an important role in providing funding sources for economic growth (Ferreira,2015). EF plays a vital role for the banking sector’s development which categorizes of priority for developing nations and improving efficient banking system in a globalized economy. Theoretically argued, EF helps to motivate the environment leading to efficiency financial system’s establishment or being innovative ideas and producing capacities, but the relationship between EF and financial activities still remains vague (Terpilih, 2010). For example, one of component in economic freedom is financial freedom, and the effect of financial freedom (FF) in emerging markets of financial markets is not easily determined as it relies on kind of reform and conditions of financial constrains in the market (Ağca et al.
As a study from Kose et al., (2003), the influence of FF and integration on banking sector and economic growth is hard to determine because it could rely on the governance’s quality and institutions. They points that the integration in developing countries is lack of experience, and government could create higher uncertainty shocks to banking sector resulting in lower efficiency. Lou et al., (2016) find that the openness with high level leads to shrink of bank performance due to the lack of technologies, skills, the high level of competition and knowledge. Higher freedom and openness also lead to the higher dependence on each others and fragility of banking sectors in the world such as credit risk, economic and information shock (Anginer and Demirguc-Kunt,2014), which can affect bank efficiency ( BE).
TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 2 On the other hand, Asharf (2017) finds that freedom increases the bank’s development levels by decreasing cost and bank credit risk. The author also finds that freedom helps to remove barriers of trading and stimulate lending diversification which creates more bank credit demand and banks’ chances to growth. Reducing restrictions in banking activities due to FF provides more potential chances to improve BE and profitability (Chen, 2009). Banks tend to have higher profitability, efficiency in countries that have high economic and freedom (Tennant and Sutherland 2014).
A study from Ahamed (2017) also shows that foreign Banks’s entry following freedom policies will improve the host country’s banking system because of the “technology spillover” effects which positively impact on the financial institution’s performance. In Viet Nam, particularly this time, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) banking system has been preparation for the multilateral- liberalization before of the year 2020 and this is basing on the ASEAN Banking Integration Framework (ABIF) in 2014. Therefore, we expect Vietnamese banking system to achieve higher liberalization, freedom and integration level in 2020. This keys on that the importance to understand the impact of EF on BE to have appropriate actions for the aim of maintaining stable and efficient banking system for economic development in the long term.
This study follows this spirit by examining the impact of economic freedom on the efficiency of Vietnamese commercial banks during the period of 2010 to 2018 1. Research objectives - This study measures commercial bank’s efficiency in Viet Nam during the period of 2010-2018 - This study investigates the effects of economic freedom on banking efficiency in Viet Nam during the period of 2010-2018 1. Research questions To determine the impact of economic freedom on bank’s efficiency, this study particularly aims to answer the following questions: TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 3 - How are the Vietnamese commercial bank’s efficiency scores between 2010 and 2018? - Whether and how economic freedom affects on bank’s efficiency? 1. Research scope and methods The data sample of this study includes 39 commercial banks in Viet Nam between 2010 and 2018.
They are both listed and unlisted banks. This study employs quantitative analysis method with using a two-step approach: - First step: Estimation of efficiency scores by using DEA (Data envelopment analysis), these efficiency scores are measured by technical efficiency (TE) - Second step: Bank efficiency scores are regressed against an array of economic freedom variables and other bank specific factors in truncated regression model combined with bootstrapped confidence intervals The data is unbalanced over 9 years examining: the dependent variable is bank’s efficiency which is measure by Technical efficiency (TE) with DEA method, and independent variables are bank specific factors and economic freedom indexes derived from The Heritage Foundation 2018. Research Structure The study contains five chapters: Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Literature Review Chapter 3: Data and Methodology Chapter 4: Result and Discussion Chapter 5: Conclusion TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 4 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter provides theories about economic freedom and bank efficiency as well as previous researches the relationship between them. Theory of economic freedom 2.
The concept of economic freedom Freedom (Liberalization) thinking and capitalism ideal have been generated since classical economics like Adam smith, John Locke and recently Milton Friedman. Since Adam smith, economists have believed that freedom to choose demand and supply, competitive in business and trade with other countries and ensure the property right which is essential components for economic advances (North and Thormas, 1973). Moreover, Adam Smith, in the book “ The wealth of Nations”, who had emphasized that the invisible hand role in a free market to help an economy comparatively work and function well , then increasingly wealth of nations. Milton Friedman (1962) said “I believe that freedom society exists because of economic freedom bringing more efficiency than other solutions in controlling economic activities” Hayek foresaw decades ago in the book the road to Serfdom:“the guiding principle in any attempt to create a world of free man must be this: a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy” (F.
Furthermore, in “ The constitution of Liberty “ (1960) of Friedrich Hayek, he analyses that economic freedom should be understood as freedom under government’s law, and freedom does not mean that absence of all government actions. Therefore, economic freedom is not an absolute freedom, whereas government actions must have. Freedom requires forces, violence and fraudulent to be prevented, except using government forces to make sure best situations with aim for individual efficiency. If the government’s coercion is exceed limits, economic freedom will be hurt.
TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 5 In The Heritage Foundation 2014 “A comprehensive view of economic freedom encompasses all liberties and rights of production, distribution, or consumption of goods and services.