Waqf and the Urban Housing Question

Islamic Land Donations for Housing in Bangkok

Bibliographic Data

ID2801798
AuthorsSefer Kahraman, Sefer Faruk Kahraman (corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume80
Issue2
Pages637-663
Publication date2021-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Economics and Sociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9246 • E-ISSN: 1536-7150
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/ajes.12389
OpenAlexW3175917063
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited20

The city of Bangkok, Thailand faces the sorts of housing problems that are experienced throughout the Global South, where urban housing is unaffordable to large numbers of residents or is of extremely poor quality. Standard economic analysis suggests that privatization of land will enable the free market to solve the housing problem. Anne Haila, a leading urban economist, turned this mainstream logic on its head, claiming that land privatization worsens housing problems. She also argued that systems based on sharing are needed. Bangkok sought to solve its housing problem with conventional methods of public housing and social housing, but that policy was unsuccessful. This article recommends the application of core Islamic social and moral values: social responsibility and generosity. The use of non-private land, such as religious waqf land, offers an effective alternative housing system. Waqf land practices demonstrate the philosophy of Islamic philanthropy, as I show in a case study of how waqf land is used in Bangkok. The evidence demonstrates that a sharing alternative can help alleviate urban problems. This study is just one example of a practice within the Islamic collective philanthropic spirit

Business · Economic growth · Economics · Generosity · Geography · Islam · Mainstream · Political science · Public housing · Quality (philosophy) · Waqf · Islamic Finance and Banking Studies · Law · Socioeconomic Development in Asia · Urban and Rural Development Challenges

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