Acknowledgements; List of Contributors; List of Figures and Tables; Introduction; 1. Alternative Banking History; 2. The Comparitive Performance of Alternative Banks before the 2007-8 Crisis; 3. The Counter-Cyclical Behaviour of Public and Private Banks; 4. Explaining the Competitive Advantage of Alternative Banks; 5. A Qualitative and Statistical Analysis of European Cooperative Banking Groups; 6. The Persistence of the Three-Pillar Banking System in Germany; 7. Alternative Banks in a Dualistic Economy; 8. Alternative Banks on the Margin; 9. The United States. 10. BRIC Statecraft and Government Banks11. Cooperative Banks in India; Conclusion; Notes; Index.