Franklin Allen and Douglas Gale assemble some of their key papers along with a five-chapter overview that not only synthesizes their work but provides a historical and institutional review and a discussion of alternative approaches as well.

The contemporary finance deals mainly with multilateral and multi-counterparty transactions. Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh) has yet to develop its conceptualization of this modality of financing. Thus far, it has become a norm for large financing projects to rely on a complex structure of interconnected bilateral contracts that in totality becomes opaque, complex and costly. An unfortunate result of the unavailability of an efficient Fiqhi model applicable to modern multilateral and multi-counterparty contracts has been the fact that the present Islamic finance has been forced to replicate conventional risk-transfer (interest rate based) debt contracts thus drawing severe criticisms of duplicating conventional finance. In 2012, a gathering of some of the Muslim world’s most prominent experts in Jurisprudence (Fuqaha) and economists issued the Kuala Lumpur Declaration (Fatwa) in which they identified risk sharing as the essence of Islamic finance. The Declaration opened the door for a new Fiqh approach to take the lead in developing the jurisprudence of multilateral and multi-counterparty transactions. This Declaration (Fatwa) provides a prime motivation to search for a comprehensive model of risk sharing that can serve as an archetypal contract encompassing all potential contemporary financial transactions. From the perspective of Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh), the technicalities of the concept of risk sharing in contemporary finance have yet to be defined in Islamic literature. This book attempts to clarify and shed light on these technicalities from the perspective of Fiqh. It is a comprehensive study that relies on the fundamental Islamic sources to establish a theoretical and practical perspective of Fiqh encompassing risk-sharing Islamic finance as envisioned in the Kuala Lumpur Declaration of 2012. This new paradigm should lead to a more efficient approach to multilateral and multi-counterparty Islamic contracts which, here-to-fore has been lacking in the current configuration of Islamic finance.

Until about twenty years ago, the consensus view on the cause of financial-system distress was fairly simple: a run on one bank could easily turn to a panic involving runs on all banks, destroying some and disrupting the financial system. Since then, however, a series of events—such as emerging-market debt crises, bond-market meltdowns, and the Long-Term Capital Management episode—has forced a rethinking of the risks facing financial institutions and the tools available to measure and manage these risks. The Risks of Financial Institutions examines the various risks affecting financial institutions and explores a variety of methods to help institutions and regulators more accurately measure and forecast risk. The contributors--from academic institutions, regulatory organizations, and banking--bring a wide range of perspectives and experience to the issue. The result is a volume that points a way forward to greater financial stability and better risk management of financial institutions.

The economics of wealth inequality is a nascent area of research. Although evidence shows that debt, interest, and leverage are drivers of increasing wealth inequalities, the literature is reluctant to focus on the debt-based system as a main culpri

Why do different countries have such different financial systems? Is one system better than the other? This text argues that the view that market-based systems are best is simplistic, and suggests that a more nuanced approach is necessary.

Governments around the globe are facing a new framework of service delivery as public-private partnerships become more prevalent. Characterized as an innovative tool for change, this area of socio-economic development is transforming the world economy. Risk Management Strategies in Public-Private Partnerships is an essential reference source for the latest scholarly research on recent developments on the relationships between public agencies and private sectors, and frameworks for effectively managing risk factors. Featuring extensive coverage on a wide variety of topics and perspectives such as service delivery, sustainability, and contractual design, this publication is ideally designed for policy makers, students, and professionals seeking current research on ways to manage problems and challenges in contractual partnerships.