nep-isf New Economics Papers
on Islamic Finance
Issue of 2026–05–18
three papers chosen by
Ali Polat, Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt Üniversitesi


  1. When Religion Shapes Redistribution: Islamic Economic Provisions and Income Inequality By Mahmut Zeki Akarsu; Moamen Gouda
  2. Decolonizing Entrepreneurship: Navigating, Resisting, and Transforming Patriarchy through Infrapolitics in Palestine and the Global South – A Systematic Literature Review By Wojdan Omran; Shumaila Yousafzai
  3. Social Protection for All: Opportunities and Challenges for Inclusive Societies in the Middle East and North Africa By Aomar Ibourk

  1. By: Mahmut Zeki Akarsu; Moamen Gouda
    Abstract: This study examines how constitutionally embedded Islamic economic principles – declarations of an “Islamic Economy Provision, ” “Islamic Alms/Zakat Provision, ” and “Islamic Riba Provision” – affect income inequality in OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) countries over the period 1980–2019. Using novel disaggregated constitutional data (Gouda, 2026) merged with World Inequality Database measures, we estimate correlated random-effects panel models with Driscoll–Kraay standard errors. The results reveal heterogeneous post-2011 Arab Spring effects. Broad economy declarations and Islamic alms/zakat provisions are associated with higher top-10 and top-1 income shares and compressed middle and bottom shares in Arab states, suggesting elite capture in rentier contexts. By contrast, riba prohibitions reduce Gini coefficients and increase bottom-50 income shares across OIC countries. In non-Arab OIC countries, Islamic economy and alms provisions are associated with more egalitarian outcomes. The findings show that constitutional provisions operate as autonomous distributional forces, but their effects are mediated by textual specificity, implementation capacity, and political context. The policy implication is that enforceable institutional mechanisms are more likely than symbolic constitutional commitments to translate Islamic egalitarian norms into redistribution.
    Keywords: Islamic constitutions, income inequality, Zakat, Riba prohibition, OIC countries
    JEL: D31 K10 P48 Z12
    Date: 2026
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12657
  2. By: Wojdan Omran (Queen's Business School); Shumaila Yousafzai (Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Business)
    Abstract: This study advances a decolonial understanding of women's entrepreneurship in the Global South by synthesizing how women entrepreneurs resist and navigate patriarchal constraints through infrapolitical strategies. It introduces infrapolitics as a critical lens to theorize subtle, informal, and contextually embedded acts of resistance that often remain overlooked in mainstream entrepreneurship literature.
    Keywords: Infrapolitics, Strategic disobedience, Quiet activism, Women entrepreneurs, Palestine, Patriarchy, Bricolage, Islamic feminism, Global South, Systematic Literature Review, Decolonial theory
    Date: 2025–08
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:asx:nugsbw:2025-11
  3. By: Aomar Ibourk
    Abstract: This paper was published as a book chapter in “The Economic Potential of Islamic Countries, Part B: Sustainability, Governance, Energy and Digital Transformation, ” released by Emerald Publishing. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant deficiencies within social protection systems worldwide, especially in Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries. This underscores the urgent need to fortify these social protection schemes to ensure resilience in the face of crises (Saoudi & Sarbib, 2023). Robust social safety nets played a pivotal role in mitigating the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, emphasizing the importance of well-established mechanisms in supporting vulnerable populations during times of turmoil. This highlights the imperative for nations to cultivate and enhance their social protection systems, and to ensure they are capable of effectively safeguarding citizens amidst crises, thereby promoting resilience and facilitating equitable economic development (IMF, 2022).
    Date: 2026–04
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ocp:pbecon:pbsao_26

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