The study was unique in that it focused on a less developed region of the world and included data over an extensive period of time.

FORBES: Wealthier Nations, Healthier. But is That Always the Case?

The inadequacies of Asia's capital markets, where corporate-bond markets are even less developed than stockmarkets, are the flipside of a dominant banking sector that intermediates four-fifths of the region's investment, compared with just a quarter in America.

ECONOMIST: But in Asia they will take time to build