The Relationship Between Financial Liberalization and Price Stability in Kenya
Abstract
From the past literature, to liberalize the financial sector when inflation is high can
lead to high interest rates and even higher inflation. Thereafter, when inflation is
fought, a period of low inflation and high real interest rates follow. Since Kenya
experienced this sequence, it appears that prices were unstable before and during the
financial liberalization period.
The study used the economic growth model and paired correlations to find out
whether there exists a relationship between financial liberalization and price stability
in Kenya. The study used secondary data to test the relationship between Financial
Liberalization and Price Stability in Kenya for the period 1980 to 2010.
The findings show that financial liberalization had a positive effect on the rates of
inflation. However, although financial liberalization was not exclusively responsible
for the fluctuations in the rate of interest as shown by the positive relationship before
liberalization the study further established that there is a positive relationship between
financial liberalization and inflation levels before and after financial liberalization and
therefore, financial liberalization has a positive effect on the price stability in Kenya
Citation
Masters of Business AdministrationPublisher
University of Nairobi