WZF International Conference 2017
| # | Title | Authors | |
| 2017 | |||
| 2017-01 |
The Evolution of the Top-down Zakat Management System and Its Importance for Contemporary Indonesia |
Mari Adachi |  |
|
Abstract Zakat is a unique Islamic instrument reserved for eight groups of recipients with the aim to redistribute income, reduce poverty, and achieve social welfare. However, poverty and destitution are persistent problems all over the world, including many Muslim countries. According to the World Bank, Indonesia has one of the highest wealth concentrations in the world. The richest 10% of Indonesians own an estimated 77% of the country’s wealth. It means that half of the country’s assets are owned by the richest 1% of Indonesians. Under these circumstances, how may zakat contribute to poverty alleviation? This paper describes the discourses on the top-down approach to zakat management in contemporary Indonesia. In particular, the paper aims to clarify how an institutionalized approach to zakat helps find new areas of intervention and, without abandoning the original programs of poverty alleviation, provides a means for community development and empowerment in contemporary Indonesia. Keywords: zakat, Indonesia, Islamic economics, poverty alleviation JEL Classification: B00 |