The Biruni Institute is pleased to announce that Dr. Omar Joya, its Head of Research, will be on a Visiting Research Fellowship to the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, University of Oxford, during the academic year of 2019/20.
The Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OXCIS) is a recognized independent centre of the University of Oxford dedicated to the study of contemporary Muslim societies using a multi-disciplinary approach. Many distinguished heads of states and internationally renowned scholars have lectured at the Centre since its foundation in 1985. Islamic finance and economics is one of the Center’s research focus areas.
Dr. Joya’s research at the OXCIS will lie at the intersection of behavioural economics, Islamic economics, and political economy. It will study whether ‘social preference’ moves away from income maximisation towards achieving ‘fairness’ and ‘equity’ when ‘fundamental uncertainty’ in capitalistic market economies starts to threaten the stability of economic outcomes in these societies. It will seek to respond whether Islamic Economics, by its virtue to putting ‘fairness’ and ‘equity’ as the primary societal objectives, could be a feasible alternative to the dominant economic paradigm built around ‘growth maximisation’.
Dr. Joya will allocate his time between Kabul and Oxford, and will continue to lead and oversee the research and analytical activities of the Biruni Institute throughout his fellowship programme.