Thesis

http://www.abaco-project.eu/documents/Thesis-finalversion.pdf

Following a brief introduction, this thesis discusses the legal principles on which Islamic finance is based. There are discrepancies between an idealized Islamic economy and the monetary polcies which are able to be implemented in reality. Case studies for Iran, United Kingdom and Malaysia are examined with regards to monetary policy. The effects of implementing a shari`a compliant monetary policy are also evaluated.

This thesis aims to shed light on the problem of a lack of adequate skill formation in Saudi Arabia, a largely unexplored area of research. There is too much dependence on foreign skilled labor in Saudi Arabia; there needs to be a better system of training indigenous workers. This study utilizes archives, interviews, and surveys as foundations for policy recommendations to Saudi officials. In addition, this study addresses the skill formation and job training problem within the context of Islamic economics, as opposed to utilizing a purely western capitalist method of analysis.

There is a need to reassess system development applications to determine if current methodologies are still viable, and the factors responsible for successful ISD, and to examine the relationship and the influence of factors on the success of IS in the banking industry, especially for financial institutions located in developing countries, in this case the Kingdom of Bahrain. This thesis examines ways IS are being developed and the factors perceived to influence successful implementation, before making recommendations for change.

This study was carried out in Kuwait Finance House (KFH) and looks at the current situation of Islamic banking from the perspective of modern financial intermediation and Islamic contracting theories. A major problem has developed for Islamic banks due to rapid changes in technology, and the lack of innovative solutions to some managerial and operations issues. Strong competition has led to customers expecting to receive high quality services, something that is now lacking in Islamic banks.

This dissertation evaluates the political effects of the increasing incorporation of capitalist economic polices into the Egyptian economy, and their compatibility with Islamic culture. This study assesses some of the potential political outcomes of implementing IMF programs and developing a free-market economy. When viewed through the framework Gramsci's works, Egypt will not achieve political stability through capitalism, primarily due to the weak nature of Egyptian civil society.

This dissertation argues that, unlike the views of Adam Smith, economic analysis should incorporate both secular ethics and major religious teachings, including Judaism, Christianity,

This study utilizes financial development theories to analyze the banking and informal credit markets in Iran. With regards to financial liberalization policies, this thesis argues through historical examples that informal credit markets are able to operate due to cost advantages in dealing with certain groups, negative interest rates do not necessarily lead to low investment and savings levels, and that financial repression does not necessarily slow growth.

This thesis investigates the structural differences in financial institutions between industrial and developing countries, and evaluates the validity of models originally used to analyze industrial institutions in terms of developing countries. Existing models such as static trade-off and pecking order are not entirely applicable to developing countries, and thus a new model is needed to account for anomalies within the developing countries chosen as case studies (India, Korea, Malaysia, Jordan, and Zimbabwe).