ERNEST ARYEETEY Professor of Economics and Director of the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana, Legon MINA BALIAMOUNE-LUTZ Associate Professor of Economics, University of North Florida, USA SALVATORE CAPASSO Associate Professor of Economics, University of Naples, 'Parthenope', Italy PANICOS DEMETRIADES Professor of Financial Economics, Department of Economics, University of Leicester, UK BASSAM FATTOUH Reader in Finance and Management, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK; Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, UK ALEMAYEHU GEDA Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Addis Ababa University; Researcher, African Economic Research Consortium, Economic Commission for Africa and University of London, SOAS, UK IFTEKHAR HASAN Cary L. Wellington Professor of Finance, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA; Scientific Advisor, Central Bank of Finland; Visiting Scholar, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, USA; Research Fellow, Berkley Center of Entrepreneurial Studies at the Stern School of Business, New York University, USA ROBERT LENSINK Professor in Finance and Financial Markets, University of Groningen, Netherlands SAMUEL MUNZELE MAIMBO Senior Financial Sector Specialist, Africa Finance and Private Sector Unit, World Bank MACHIKO NISSANKE Professor of Economics, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, UK SANG-IK SON Deputy Director, Statistical Research Institute, Korea National Statistical Office, South Korea PHAM THI THU TRÀ Lecturer, Cantho University, Vietnam MINGMING ZHOU Assistant Professor of Finance, University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA