The Collective and the Individual: Re-thinking the Role of Altruism in Institutions Through Akhuwat’s Example

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dc.contributorSteinfels, Amina
dc.contributorRobinson, Mike
dc.contributor.advisorKhan, Shahrukh
dc.contributor.authorAnsari, Natasha
dc.date.accessioned2013-06-20T12:32:43Z
dc.date.available2013-06-20T12:32:43Z
dc.date.gradyear2013en_US
dc.date.issued2013-06-20
dc.description.abstractConventional economic postulates based on impersonal exchange do not account for altruism or values in their formulation. As a result, there is larger emphasis placed on the importance of free-market based justifications for development initiatives, and lesser importance placed on examining the role and competency of institutions that facilitate the market process in the political economy framework. This results in a market-oriented delineation of civil society organizations rather than creating true development. The market proliferation of conventional microcredit practices and the severe limitations they have run into of late are an indication of this problem. To demonstrate an alternative I use Akhuwat’s (a microcredit institution based in Lahore, Pakistan) example, and its method of using religion as a preceptoral mechanism in place to incubate values and institutionalize altruism. Akhuwat is novel in its approach in that it levies no interest on its loans and uses religion as a tool that enables inculcation of the missing value system, thus harnessing community and instilling a collective oriented outlook in agents to systemically accomplish goals of social justice.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipEconomicsen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10166/3264
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.rights.restrictedpublicen_US
dc.subjectmicrocrediten_US
dc.subjectaltruismen_US
dc.subjectinstitutionsen_US
dc.subjectIslamic economicsen_US
dc.subjectrotten kid theoremen_US
dc.subjectIslamen_US
dc.subjectvalue systemsen_US
dc.subjectpreceptoral mechanismen_US
dc.subjectcommunity buildingen_US
dc.subjectsocial justiceen_US
dc.subjectegoismen_US
dc.subjecteconomic developmenten_US
dc.subjectreligionen_US
dc.subjectpoverty alleviationen_US
dc.subjectAkhuwaten_US
dc.subjectPakistan
dc.subjectmicrofinance
dc.titleThe Collective and the Individual: Re-thinking the Role of Altruism in Institutions Through Akhuwat’s Exampleen_US
dc.typeThesis
mhc.degreeUndergraduateen_US
mhc.institutionMount Holyoke College

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