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Does too much competition in banking hurt society? What policies can best protect and stabilize banking without stifling it? Institutional responses to such questions have evolved over time, from interventionist regulatory control after the Great Depression to the liberalization policies that started in the United States in the 1970s. The global financial crisis of 200709, which originated from an oversupply of credit, once again raised questions about excessive banking competition and what should be done about it. Competition and Stability in Banking addresses the critical relationships between competition, regulation, and stability, and the implications of coordinating banking regulations with competition policies.

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"Now that the global financial crisis has subsided, governments and regulators must deal with the issue of what to do about banking competition in the long term. Xavier Vives is one of the most distinguished and knowledgeable economists in the world, and his excellent and timely book analyzes the interactions between banking regulation and competition policy. It will be useful to experts in the field and of interest to general readers."--Franklin Allen, Imperial College London and University of Pennsylvania

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Xavier Vives is professor of economics and finance at the IESE Business School in Barcelona, where he is also academic director of the Public-Private Research Center. His books include Information and Learning in Markets (Princeton) and Oligopoly Pricing.

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