The objective is to compare the effectiveness of financial markets and financial intermediaries in financing new industries and technologies in the presence of diversity of opinion. In markets, investors become informed about the details of the new industry or technology and make their own...

A complex financial system comprises both financial markets and financial intermediaries. We distinguish financial intermediaries according to whether they issue complete contingent contracts or incomplete contracts. Intermediaries such as banks that issue incomplete contracts, e.g., demand...

This paper presents evidence that the traditional banking business of accepting deposits and making loans has declined significantly in the US in recent years. There has been a switch from directly held assets to pension funds and mutual funds. However, banks have maintained their position...

The corporate governance systems operating in different countries are distinct. In the U.S. and U.K., it is often argued that the threat of takeover ensures managers act in the shareholders' interests. In countries such as Germany, Japan, and France, it is suggested banks and other institutions...

"<p> Franklin Allen, James McAndrews and Philip Strahan, October 2001<p> <p>Abstract: E-finance is defined as "The provision of financial services and markets using electronic communication and computation". In this paper we outline research issues related to e-finance that we believe set the stage for...</p></p></p>

In a 1992 article, Porter argues that the U.S. capital investment system is failing a wide range of constituencies including firms' investors, managers, and employees, because of its focus on short term performance. In contrast, in Germany and Japan many shareholders have large stakes which are...

A financial system is fragile if a small shock has a large effect. Sunspot equilibria, where the endogenous variables depend on extrinsic uncertainty, provide an extreme illustration. However, fundamental equilibria, where outcomes depend only on intrinsic uncertainty, can also be fragile. We...

What is a Financial System?<p> <p>The purpose of a financial system is to channel funds from agents with surpluses to agents with deficits. In the traditional literature there have been two approaches to analyzing this process. The first is to consider how agents interact through financial markets....</p></p>