Contents: Foreword / Mervyn K. Lewis -- Introduction: empirical research on Islam and economic life / M. Kabir Hassan -- Part I: Religion and growth -- 1. Social preferences and values: an experimental analysis for religiosity / Anwar Shah, Karim Khan and Hayat Khan -- 2. Openness, culture, legal environment and Islamic finance / Kaouthar Gazdar, Rihab Grassa and M. Kabir Hassan -- 3. Islamic finance in movement: public opinion in the Arab region / Clement Moore Henry -- Part II: Islamic social finance -- 4. Evaluating the impact of zakat by indicator of disaggregated Human Development Index: an empirical finding / Mohamad Soleh Nurzaman -- 5. Poverty, finance and institutions: evidence from OIC countries / Muhammad Tariq Majeed -- 6. The social and cultural impact on firms' access to finance in an Islamic environment / Charilaos Mertzanis -- 7. Reporting of zakat and charitable activities in Islamic banks: theory and practice in a multi-cultural setting / Mamunur Rashid, M. Kabir Hassan, How Shi Min and G. M. Wali Ullah -- 8. Achieving sustainable economic development through Islamic microfinance and potential of proposed two tier mudarabah waqf business model / Mohammad Ashraf Mobin and Abu Umar Faruq Ahmad -- 9. Can Islamic banking increase financial inclusion? / Sami Ben Naceur, Adolfo Barajas and Alexander Massara -- 10. Social tax and transfers for poverty alleviation: a case for low and middle income countries / Nasim Shah Shirazi and Anas Zarka -- Part III: Islamic banking and finance -- 11. The impact of the global financial crisis on Islamic banking / Faisal Alqahtani and David G. Mayes -- 12. Country governance and the performance of Islamic and conventional banks: international evidence / Fadzlan Sufian, M. Kabir Hassan, Fakarudin Kamarudin and Annuar Md. Nassir -- 13. How institutions shape the gap in efficiency between Islamic and conventional banks / Laurent Weill -- 14. Differences between Islamic and conventional finance in Malaysia / Olga Krasicka and Sylwia Nowak -- 15. On the co-existence of conventional and Islamic banks: do these banks differ in business structure / Sajjad Zaheer and Moazzam Farooq -- 16. Macroeconomic shocks and Islamic bank behavior in Turkey / Ahmet Faruk Aysan, Mustafa Disli, Adam Ng and Huseyin Ozturk -- 17. Explaining intermediation costs of Islamic banks in OIC countries / Nurhafiza Abdul Kader Malim, Mansor H. Ibrahim and Mohamed Eskandar Shah Mohd Rasid -- 18. Liquidity risk management in emerging and Islamic markets in post financial crisis in Gulf Cooperation Council / Mazin A.M. Al Janabi -- 19. How efficient are the commercial, investment and Islamic bank managers in Jordan / Ihsan Isik, Mohammed Omran and M. Kabir Hassan -- Part IV: Islamic capital market -- 20. Does Islamic investment accrue hedging benefits? / Dawood Ashraf and Mohsin Khawaja -- 21. Volatility forecasting, value-at-risk and expected shortfall estimations under Basel II Accord in GCC shariah stocks / Chaker Aloui, M. Kabir Hassan and Hela Ben Hamida -- 22. Do stock returns react to an Islamic label / Raphie Hayat and Celia de Anca -- 23. Taking a leap of faith: are investors left short changed? / Yunieta A. Nainggolan, Janice C.Y. How and Peter Verhoeven -- 24. Quantitative studies of Islamic and conventional assets / Shumi Akhtar and Maria Jahromi -- 25. Profit-sharing ratio as a screening device in venture capital / Meryem Mehri, Kaouther Jouaber-Snoussi and M. Kabir Hassan -- 26. On the dependency structure of Islamic assets / Mahmoud Bekri, M. Kabir Hassan and Nafis Alam -- 27. Malaysian investors perspectives on the integration and co-movement of Islamic stock markets in developed and developing countries / Marjan Naseri, Syed Othman Alhabshi and Mansur Masih -- 28. A wavelet approach to time-scale relationships among the Islamic and conventional stock markets and LIBOR / AbdelKader O. el Alaoui, Ginanjar Dewandaru, Obiyathulla Bacha and Mansur Masih -- Part V: Sukuk (Islamic bonds) -- 29. Testing th