QUEEN’S BUSINESS SCHOOL ECONOMICS SEMINAR SERIES

Friday 5^th December

11.30am

" Missing Discussions: Institutional Constraints in the Islamic Political Tradition" 

Arda Gitmez

Bilkent University

Abstract

Institutional constraints to prevent abuses of power have been considered essential in the West. An intellectual tradition emerged to justify them. We identify a puzzle: such an intellectual tradition did not exist in the Islamic world, despite the recognition of potential for abuse. We develop a model to explain this difference in normative traditions. Islamic law was more encompassing than divine law in the West, making it easier for citizens to identify and address abuses of power through collective action. Islamic tradition’s core assumptions made the collective action approach to accountability preferable to the institutional approach favored in the West.

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