Title: A global analysis of culture and imperfect competition in banking systems

Authors: Miki Malul, Amir Shoham

Addresses: Department of Public Policy and Administration, School of Management, Ben-Gurion University, Israel. ' School of Business Administration, The College of Management, Israel and Department of Economics, Sapir Academic College, Israel

Abstract: The high concentration of the banking sector is a cross-border phenomenon that has a strong impact on local and global economies. The primary goal of this paper is to analyse the factors that affect concentration in banking systems around the world. The innovation of this paper is that it combines economic, |economic environment| and cultural variables as explanatory factors in this analysis. Among other things, it was found that regulation in the banking system helps ensure that it remains competitive. It was also found that cultural dimensions, such as power distance, have an impact on the level of concentration in the banking industry.

Keywords: banking sector; concentration levels; culture; regulation; banks.

DOI: 10.1504/IJFSM.2008.019666

International Journal of Financial Services Management, 2008 Vol.3 No.2, pp.124 - 135

Published online: 19 Jul 2008 *

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