This paper responds to the criticism of the Zubair Diminishing Balance model for Islamic home financing that Ahmad Kameel Meera published in the ISRA Journal. The response argues that most of the comments of Meera are frivolous and misplaced. It reiterates that the ZDBM is much different from...

In my latest article on Islamic home financing models in the ISRA Journal June 2013, I had shown that the Zubair Diminishing Balance Model (ZDBM) is free of return compounding and the transfer of ownership to the customer perfectly matches the payments’ rate; the two norms Islamic models must...

From the study "Family Farming in the Economy: Brazil and Rio Grande do Sul" published in 2005 by NEAD - Nucleus of Agrarian Studies and Rural Development Ministry of Agrarian Development, the perception of the importance of family agriculture in the economy has gained special dimension, which...

The economic liberalization and globalization process, started in the 1990s, brought a strong impact on the Brazilian economy. Between 1988 and 1993, an extensive process of liberalization was held, gradually reducing the degree of protection of local industry and changing the relations of...

The present paper attempts two demonstrations. First, it shows that the Excel formula Islamic banks invariably use to determine the fixed installment payments in home financing amortization has explicit compounding of return. Once the installment is based on that formula, the subsequent claims...

This paper responds to the criticism of the Zubair Diminishing Balance model for Islamic home financing that Ahmad Kameel Meera published in the ISRA Journal. The response argues that most of the comments of Meera are frivolous and misplaced. It reiterates that the ZDBM is much different from...

In today’s international scenario, the issue of the food supply emerges as a central point to be discussed. The rising of prices, the population growth, the problem of hunger and the controversy about the bio-fuels, among other topics, make of great importance that agro-exporter countries such...