Rima A Turk

Last Updated: March 15, 2023

Rima Turk

Rima Turk joined the IMF in 2013, working on a range of assignments covering low-income, emerging markets, and advanced economies. She is currently the IMF resident representative in the Union of Comoros, after serving as senior economist in the Strategy, Policy, and Review Department, in the European Department, and at the Institute of Capacity Development’s Center for Economics and Finance in Kuwait. Prior to joining the IMF, Ms. Turk was a tenured professor in finance at the Lebanese American University in Beirut and a regular visiting scholar to the Bank of Finland’s Institute for Emerging Economies and to the Université de Strasbourg, Ecole de Management. She has published extensively in top-tier peer-refereed journals, including on financial markets and stability, the sovereign-bank nexus, fragile states, trade diversification, migrant integration, corporate debt limits, and private sector investment. Ms. Turk also presented her research at more than 40 international conferences.

Email: RTURK@imf.org

Personal WebPage: http://econpapers.repec.org/ras/ptu107.htm; http://ssrn.com/author=471991

Fluent In: Arabic, French.

Education:

Ph.D., Banking and Finance, Cardiff University, Wales, United Kingdom, July 2004. Thesis Title: X-Efficiency in Lebanese Banking, a Flexible Stochastic Frontier Approach.

Master’s Degree, Money and Banking (M.M.B.), American University of Beirut, June 1990. Thesis Title: Human Resources Management with respect to Lebanese Banks.

Bachelor of Arts in Economics, American University of Beirut, February 1987, with Distinction. Computer Programming Certificate. American University of Beirut (AUB), June 1988.

IMF Books and Working Papers:

Do IMF Programs Stimulate Private Sector Investment? , Working Paper No. 2022/157 , July 29, 2022

Reassessing the Role of State-Owned Enterprises in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe , Departmental Paper No.19/11 , June 18, 2019

The Labor Market Integration of Migrants in Europe: New Evidence from Micro Data , Working Paper No. 18/232 , November 01, 2018

Who Pays for Financial Crises? Price and Quantity Rationing of Different Borrowers by Domestic and Foreign Banks , Working Paper No. 18/158 , July 10, 2018

Where Have All the Profits Gone? European Bank Profitability Over the Financial Cycle , Working Paper No. 18/99 , May 09, 2018

Heterogeneity of Bank Risk Weights in the EU : Evidence by Asset Class and Country of Counterparty Exposure , Working Paper No. 17/137 , June 09, 2017

Negative Interest Rates : How Big a Challenge for Large Danish and Swedish Banks? , Working Paper No. 16/198 , October 14, 2016

Individual Choice or Policies? Drivers of Female Employment in Europe , Working Paper No. 16/49 , March 07, 2016

Gender Diversity in Senior Positions and Firm Performance : Evidence from Europe , Working Paper No. 16/50 , March 07, 2016

Gender Diversity in Senior Positions and Firm Performance : Evidence from Europe , Working Paper No. 16/50 , March 07, 2016

Unlocking Female Employment Potential in Europe : Drivers and Benefits , European Departmental Paper 16/1 , March 01, 2016

Housing Price and Household Debt Interactions in Sweden , Working Paper No. 15/276 , December 28, 2015

An Overview of Islamic Finance , Working Paper No. 15/120 , June 02, 2015

High Liquidity Creation and Bank Failures , Working Paper No. 15/103 , May 06, 2015

Financial Decisions and Investment Outcomes in Developing Countries: The Role of Institutions , Working Paper No. 15/38 , February 25, 2015

The Transmission of Liquidity Shocks: The Role of Internal Capital Markets and Bank Funding Strategies , Working Paper No. 14/207 , November 19, 2014

Do the Type of Sukuk and Choice of Shari'a Scholar Matter? , Working Paper No. 14/147 , August 11, 2014

Are Banks Really Lazy? Evidence from Middle East and North Africa , Working Paper No. 14/86 , May 13, 2014

Macro-Financial Linkages in Egypt: A Panel Analysis of Economic Shocks and Loan Portfolio Quality , Working Paper No. 13/271 , December 30, 2013

Credit Constraints, Political Instability, and Capital Accumulation , Working Paper No. 13/246 , December 16, 2013

Publications in Journals (Refereed)

Who Pays for Financial Crises? Price and Quantity Rationing of Different Borrowers by Domestic and Foreign Banks, with A. Berger and T. Makaew, Review of Corporate Finance, forthcoming.

Sovereign Portfolio Composition and Bank Risk, with S. Baziki and M. Nieto, Journal of Financial Stability, 65, 2023.

Debt limits and monetary policy during the euro area crisis, with R. Herrala, Applied Economics, 2022.

Bank Capital and Economic Activity, with P.O. Klein, Journal of Financial Stability, 62, 2022.

High Liquidity Creation and Bank Failures, with Z. Fungacova and L. Weill, Journal of Financial Stability, 57, 2021.

Unlocking the Potential of Greater Female Employment in Europe, with L.E. Christiansen, H. Lin, J.M. Pereira, and P. Topalova, Intereconomics - Review of European Economic Policy, 52(1), 5-16, 2017.

Religiosity vs. Well-Being Effects on Investor Behavior, with L. Weill and P.O. Klein, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 138, 50-62, 2017.

Capital Accumulation in a Politically Unstable Region, with R. Herrala, Journal of International Money and Finance, 64, 1-15, 2016.

Legal Systems, Capital Structure, and Debt Maturity in Developing Countries, Corporate Governance: An International Review 24(2), 130-44, 2016.

Do the Type of Sukuk and Choice of Shari'a Scholar Matter? with L. Weill and C. Godlewski, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 132, 63-76, 2016.

An Overview of Islamic Finance, with M. Hussein and A. Shahmoradi, Journal of International Commerce, Economics and Policy 7(1), 1-28, 2016.

Do Depositors Discipline Banks and Did Government Actions During the Recent Crisis Reduce this Discipline? An International Perspective, with A. Berger, Journal of Financial Services Research 48(2), 103-126, 2015.

Investors’ Reaction to Sharp Price Changes in GCC Markets, with R. Rezvanian and S. Mehdian, International Journal of Behavioural Accounting and Finance 5(2), 154 – 174, 2015.

Investors’ Reaction to Sharp Price Changes in GCC Markets, with R. Rezvanian and S. Mehdian, International Journal of Behavioural Accounting and Finance 5(2), 154 – 174, 2015.

Joint Market Power in Banking: Evidence from Developing Countries, with W. Marrouch, Journal of International Financial Markets, Instruments, and Money 31, 253-267, 2014.

Macro-Financial Linkages in Egypt: A Panel Analysis of Economic Shocks on Loan Portfolio Quality, with I. Love, Journal of International Financial Markets, Instruments, and Money 28, 158-181, 2014.

Sukuk vs. Conventional Bonds: A Stock Market Perspective, with L. Weill and C. Godlewski, Journal of Comparative Economics 41, 745–761, 2013.

WTO Membership, Ownership Deregulation, and Market Efficiency: Evidence from China,” with R. Rezvanian and S. Mehdian Applied Financial Economics 22(3), 177-195, 2012.

Are GCC Stock Markets Special? with R. Rezvanian and S. Mehdian, Review of Business 31(2), 15-23, 2011.

Cost Efficiency, Technological Progress and Productivity Growth of Chinese Banking Pre and Post WTO Accession, with R. Rezvanian and S. Mehdian, Applied Financial Economics 21(7), 437-454, 2011.

Investor’s Reactions to Sharp Price Change: Evidence from Equity Markets of the People's Republic of China, with R. Rezvanian and S. Mehdian, Global Finance Journal 22, 1-18, 2011.

Calendar Anomalies in GCC Stock Markets, with R. Rezvanian and S. Mehdian, Emerging Markets Review 12, 293-307, 2011.

Competitive Conditions in Islamic and Conventional Banking: A Global Perspective, Review of Financial Economics 19 (3), 101-108, 2010.

On the Implications of Market Power in Banking: Empirical Evidence from Developing Countries, Journal of Banking and Finance 34, 765–775, 2010.

Bank Competition and Financial Stability, with A. Berger and L. Klapper, Journal of Financial Services Research 35(2), 99-118, 2009.

Competitive Behavior in Middle East and North Africa Banking Systems, Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance 49, 693-710, 2009.

Financial Liberalization and Bank Efficiency: Evidence from Post War Lebanon, Applied Financial Economics 18 (11), 931-946, June 2008.

Cost Efficiency, Technological Progress and Productivity Growth of Banks in GCC Countries, with R. Rezvanian and S. Mehdian, International Journal of Business 12 (4), pp. 471-491, 2007.

Challenges in Implementing International Capital Adequacy Guidelines: A case study of an Islamic Bank, with Y. Sarieddine, Journal of Banking Regulation 9(1), 46-59, 2007.

On the Rise of Islamic Banking among Giant Commercial Banks: A Performance and Efficiency Analysis, Journal of International Business and Economics 7(1), 70-83, 2007.

Publications in Books and Conference Volumes

Tailoring IMF-Supported Programs to Fragile and Conflict-Affected States’ Needs, in Macroeconomic Policy in Fragile States, eds. R. Chami, R. Espinoza, and P.J. Montiel, Oxford University Press, 2021.

Bank competition and financial stability, with A. Berger and L. Klapper, in Handbook on Competition in Banking and Finance, edited by Jaap Bikker and Laura Spierdijk, 2017.

Unlocking Female Employment Potential in Europe: Drivers and Benefits, in Women, Work, and Economic Growth, edited by K. Kochhar, S. Chandra, and M. Newiak, 2016.

How Did Foreign Bank Lending Change During the Recent Financial Crisis: An Overview, with A. Berger and T. Makaew, Chapter 8 in The Future of Large, Internationally Active Banks, Edited by Asli Demirgüç-Kunt, Douglas D Evanoff and George G Kaufman, 115-124, 2016.

Green Sukuk: An Innovation in Islamic Capital Markets, with N. Alam and M. Duygun. In: Dorsman et al. (ed), Energy, Sustainability and Finance, Springer, Heidelberg, 2016.

Why is the Canadian banking system so remarkably stable? A comparative analysis with the United States”, with Jean Roy and Yenni Rdjah, in Managing Risk in the Financial System, edited by LaBrosse, Olivares-Caminal, and Singh, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2011.

The Role of Sukuk in Financing Economic Development”, Chapter 3: Case Studies and Contributions, in The Guide to Islamic Banking and Finance (pp.126-133), Gulf Business Intelligence, 2008.

Rima Turk

Rima Turk joined the IMF in 2013, working on a range of assignments covering low-income, emerging markets, and advanced economies. She is currently the IMF resident representative in the Union of Comoros, after serving as senior economist in the Strategy, Policy, and Review Department, in the European Department, and at the Institute of Capacity Development’s Center for Economics and Finance in Kuwait. Prior to joining the IMF, Ms. Turk was a tenured professor in finance at the Lebanese American University in Beirut and a regular visiting scholar to the Bank of Finland’s Institute for Emerging Economies and to the Université de Strasbourg, Ecole de Management. She has published extensively in top-tier peer-refereed journals, including on financial markets and stability, the sovereign-bank nexus, fragile states, trade diversification, migrant integration, corporate debt limits, and private sector investment. Ms. Turk also presented her research at more than 40 international conferences.

Email: RTURK@imf.org

Personal WebPage: http://econpapers.repec.org/ras/ptu107.htm; http://ssrn.com/author=471991

Fluent In: Arabic, French.

Education:

Ph.D., Banking and Finance, Cardiff University, Wales, United Kingdom, July 2004. Thesis Title: X-Efficiency in Lebanese Banking, a Flexible Stochastic Frontier Approach.

Master’s Degree, Money and Banking (M.M.B.), American University of Beirut, June 1990. Thesis Title: Human Resources Management with respect to Lebanese Banks.

Bachelor of Arts in Economics, American University of Beirut, February 1987, with Distinction. Computer Programming Certificate. American University of Beirut (AUB), June 1988.

IMF Books and Working Papers:

Do IMF Programs Stimulate Private Sector Investment? , Working Paper No. 2022/157 , July 29, 2022

Reassessing the Role of State-Owned Enterprises in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe , Departmental Paper No.19/11 , June 18, 2019

The Labor Market Integration of Migrants in Europe: New Evidence from Micro Data , Working Paper No. 18/232 , November 01, 2018

Who Pays for Financial Crises? Price and Quantity Rationing of Different Borrowers by Domestic and Foreign Banks , Working Paper No. 18/158 , July 10, 2018

Where Have All the Profits Gone? European Bank Profitability Over the Financial Cycle , Working Paper No. 18/99 , May 09, 2018

Heterogeneity of Bank Risk Weights in the EU : Evidence by Asset Class and Country of Counterparty Exposure , Working Paper No. 17/137 , June 09, 2017

Negative Interest Rates : How Big a Challenge for Large Danish and Swedish Banks? , Working Paper No. 16/198 , October 14, 2016

Individual Choice or Policies? Drivers of Female Employment in Europe , Working Paper No. 16/49 , March 07, 2016

Gender Diversity in Senior Positions and Firm Performance : Evidence from Europe , Working Paper No. 16/50 , March 07, 2016

Gender Diversity in Senior Positions and Firm Performance : Evidence from Europe , Working Paper No. 16/50 , March 07, 2016

Unlocking Female Employment Potential in Europe : Drivers and Benefits , European Departmental Paper 16/1 , March 01, 2016

Housing Price and Household Debt Interactions in Sweden , Working Paper No. 15/276 , December 28, 2015

An Overview of Islamic Finance , Working Paper No. 15/120 , June 02, 2015

High Liquidity Creation and Bank Failures , Working Paper No. 15/103 , May 06, 2015

Financial Decisions and Investment Outcomes in Developing Countries: The Role of Institutions , Working Paper No. 15/38 , February 25, 2015

The Transmission of Liquidity Shocks: The Role of Internal Capital Markets and Bank Funding Strategies , Working Paper No. 14/207 , November 19, 2014

Do the Type of Sukuk and Choice of Shari'a Scholar Matter? , Working Paper No. 14/147 , August 11, 2014

Are Banks Really Lazy? Evidence from Middle East and North Africa , Working Paper No. 14/86 , May 13, 2014

Macro-Financial Linkages in Egypt: A Panel Analysis of Economic Shocks and Loan Portfolio Quality , Working Paper No. 13/271 , December 30, 2013

Credit Constraints, Political Instability, and Capital Accumulation , Working Paper No. 13/246 , December 16, 2013

Publications in Journals (Refereed)

Who Pays for Financial Crises? Price and Quantity Rationing of Different Borrowers by Domestic and Foreign Banks, with A. Berger and T. Makaew, Review of Corporate Finance, forthcoming.

Sovereign Portfolio Composition and Bank Risk, with S. Baziki and M. Nieto, Journal of Financial Stability, 65, 2023.

Debt limits and monetary policy during the euro area crisis, with R. Herrala, Applied Economics, 2022.

Bank Capital and Economic Activity, with P.O. Klein, Journal of Financial Stability, 62, 2022.

High Liquidity Creation and Bank Failures, with Z. Fungacova and L. Weill, Journal of Financial Stability, 57, 2021.

Unlocking the Potential of Greater Female Employment in Europe, with L.E. Christiansen, H. Lin, J.M. Pereira, and P. Topalova, Intereconomics - Review of European Economic Policy, 52(1), 5-16, 2017.

Religiosity vs. Well-Being Effects on Investor Behavior, with L. Weill and P.O. Klein, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 138, 50-62, 2017.

Capital Accumulation in a Politically Unstable Region, with R. Herrala, Journal of International Money and Finance, 64, 1-15, 2016.

Legal Systems, Capital Structure, and Debt Maturity in Developing Countries, Corporate Governance: An International Review 24(2), 130-44, 2016.

Do the Type of Sukuk and Choice of Shari'a Scholar Matter? with L. Weill and C. Godlewski, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 132, 63-76, 2016.

An Overview of Islamic Finance, with M. Hussein and A. Shahmoradi, Journal of International Commerce, Economics and Policy 7(1), 1-28, 2016.

Do Depositors Discipline Banks and Did Government Actions During the Recent Crisis Reduce this Discipline? An International Perspective, with A. Berger, Journal of Financial Services Research 48(2), 103-126, 2015.

Investors’ Reaction to Sharp Price Changes in GCC Markets, with R. Rezvanian and S. Mehdian, International Journal of Behavioural Accounting and Finance 5(2), 154 – 174, 2015.

Investors’ Reaction to Sharp Price Changes in GCC Markets, with R. Rezvanian and S. Mehdian, International Journal of Behavioural Accounting and Finance 5(2), 154 – 174, 2015.

Joint Market Power in Banking: Evidence from Developing Countries, with W. Marrouch, Journal of International Financial Markets, Instruments, and Money 31, 253-267, 2014.

Macro-Financial Linkages in Egypt: A Panel Analysis of Economic Shocks on Loan Portfolio Quality, with I. Love, Journal of International Financial Markets, Instruments, and Money 28, 158-181, 2014.

Sukuk vs. Conventional Bonds: A Stock Market Perspective, with L. Weill and C. Godlewski, Journal of Comparative Economics 41, 745–761, 2013.

WTO Membership, Ownership Deregulation, and Market Efficiency: Evidence from China,” with R. Rezvanian and S. Mehdian Applied Financial Economics 22(3), 177-195, 2012.

Are GCC Stock Markets Special? with R. Rezvanian and S. Mehdian, Review of Business 31(2), 15-23, 2011.

Cost Efficiency, Technological Progress and Productivity Growth of Chinese Banking Pre and Post WTO Accession, with R. Rezvanian and S. Mehdian, Applied Financial Economics 21(7), 437-454, 2011.

Investor’s Reactions to Sharp Price Change: Evidence from Equity Markets of the People's Republic of China, with R. Rezvanian and S. Mehdian, Global Finance Journal 22, 1-18, 2011.

Calendar Anomalies in GCC Stock Markets, with R. Rezvanian and S. Mehdian, Emerging Markets Review 12, 293-307, 2011.

Competitive Conditions in Islamic and Conventional Banking: A Global Perspective, Review of Financial Economics 19 (3), 101-108, 2010.

On the Implications of Market Power in Banking: Empirical Evidence from Developing Countries, Journal of Banking and Finance 34, 765–775, 2010.

Bank Competition and Financial Stability, with A. Berger and L. Klapper, Journal of Financial Services Research 35(2), 99-118, 2009.

Competitive Behavior in Middle East and North Africa Banking Systems, Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance 49, 693-710, 2009.

Financial Liberalization and Bank Efficiency: Evidence from Post War Lebanon, Applied Financial Economics 18 (11), 931-946, June 2008.

Cost Efficiency, Technological Progress and Productivity Growth of Banks in GCC Countries, with R. Rezvanian and S. Mehdian, International Journal of Business 12 (4), pp. 471-491, 2007.

Challenges in Implementing International Capital Adequacy Guidelines: A case study of an Islamic Bank, with Y. Sarieddine, Journal of Banking Regulation 9(1), 46-59, 2007.

On the Rise of Islamic Banking among Giant Commercial Banks: A Performance and Efficiency Analysis, Journal of International Business and Economics 7(1), 70-83, 2007.

Publications in Books and Conference Volumes

Tailoring IMF-Supported Programs to Fragile and Conflict-Affected States’ Needs, in Macroeconomic Policy in Fragile States, eds. R. Chami, R. Espinoza, and P.J. Montiel, Oxford University Press, 2021.

Bank competition and financial stability, with A. Berger and L. Klapper, in Handbook on Competition in Banking and Finance, edited by Jaap Bikker and Laura Spierdijk, 2017.

Unlocking Female Employment Potential in Europe: Drivers and Benefits, in Women, Work, and Economic Growth, edited by K. Kochhar, S. Chandra, and M. Newiak, 2016.

How Did Foreign Bank Lending Change During the Recent Financial Crisis: An Overview, with A. Berger and T. Makaew, Chapter 8 in The Future of Large, Internationally Active Banks, Edited by Asli Demirgüç-Kunt, Douglas D Evanoff and George G Kaufman, 115-124, 2016.

Green Sukuk: An Innovation in Islamic Capital Markets, with N. Alam and M. Duygun. In: Dorsman et al. (ed), Energy, Sustainability and Finance, Springer, Heidelberg, 2016.

Why is the Canadian banking system so remarkably stable? A comparative analysis with the United States”, with Jean Roy and Yenni Rdjah, in Managing Risk in the Financial System, edited by LaBrosse, Olivares-Caminal, and Singh, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2011.

The Role of Sukuk in Financing Economic Development”, Chapter 3: Case Studies and Contributions, in The Guide to Islamic Banking and Finance (pp.126-133), Gulf Business Intelligence, 2008.