Welfare Production in Canada and Tanzania: the Ismaili Imamat, Ismaili Community Institutions and the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN)
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Welfare Production in Canada and Tanzania: The Ismaili Imamat, Ismaili Community Institutions and the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) by Farzana Nanji Jiwani A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy and Administration Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario © 2013 Farzana Nanji Jiwani ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the evolution in thinking about public policy devoted to social protection by drawing on welfare theory and its extensions, state-civil society frameworks, and transnational networks. It does this through case studies of the Ismaili Imamat, Ismaili community institutions, and AKDN in Canada and Tanzania. The key question posed is: How are we to understand the role in welfare provision of an evolving trans-state – or perhaps international non-state – cluster of institutions that have their origins and owe their existence to a religious faith? The importance of understanding hybridity, intermediary roles, scale, and regional configurations are highlighted. The dissertation comes to the following conclusions on the AKDN and welfare provision. First, regarding the AKDN, although the Imamat level may be occupying that intermediary space and is involved in the orchestration and management of welfare production, the capacity for the mechanisms of the Imamat to also engage in a fully realized potential of a logic of hybridity is a more difficult proposition. The AKDN is a culmination of elements that began in the Ismaili community, and it is still evolving. So the capacity to seamlessly engage in a logic of hybridity or not be confined to a particular sector or scale is an ongoing process. Second, regarding welfare provision, the focus on self-reliance and independence are important factors in meeting welfare needs. However, context is important. For example, in Canada, the Ismaili community institutions are more robust, highly professional, and are operating within the broader context of Canadian state welfare provision and other external services. This in not the case in Tanzania where community institutions are resource strapped and government or external ii services are unavailable. As well, the extent of collaboration between the more comprehensive AKDN entities and community institutions in Tanzania are unresolved. Although there were pockets of collaboration between AKDN entities and government, it could be described as strategic cooperation rather than co-production. Finally, the level of Imamat engagement in welfare production demonstrated that innovation in this area is rooted in the need to break away from sector confinements and re-evaluate thinking about how and where welfare production can take place. iii AKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Leslie A. Pal, who recognized the potential of a percolating research idea and provided the support and space for me to develop my research proposal. During the research phase and in reading the many dissertation drafts, he expertly balanced his encouragement, constructive criticism, and challenges. There are maybe a few times in your professional or academic life that you are lucky to cross paths with an individual who is genuinely interested in your growth and success and who pushes you beyond your comfort zone to ensure that you learn the necessary lessons to propel your thinking to the next level. I was fortunate to be able to seek crucial guidance from Dr. Pal, who was instrumental in seeing me through to completion. I would also like to thank my two committee members, Professor Frances Abele and Professor Karim H. Karim, who were both so encouraging from the outset and who acted as invaluable sounding boards during the proposal phase. Their patience in reading early drafts and providing thoughtful insights and comments made the final dissertation much stronger. I would like to thank my family for all their support and unwavering confidence that I would see that elusive finish line. I am grateful to my parents who instilled the importance of learning and finding my own path. There are always ups and downs in the writing process, but my nephew and niece in particular, who pulled me away to enter their world when I needed it most, ensured more ups than downs. I would also like to thank all the research participants who were so generous with their time and provided thoughtful and reflective answers to questions I posed, without which this research endeavour would not have been possible. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ............. 1 Dissertation Overview ............................................................................................ 1 Method and Outline ................................................................................................ 5 Contribution .......................................................................................................... 12 Theoretical Framework ......................................................................................... 13 Theory Link to Case Studies ................................................................................. 25 CHAPTER 2: ISMAILI HISTORY AND BACKGROUND ..................................... 33 History and Background Overview ...................................................................... 33 The Link of the Imam and his Community ........................................................... 37 Imam as the Pinnacle ................................................................................ 37 Allegiance of Ismailis to the Imam ........................................................... 39 Ismaili Imamat - The Office of the Imam ............................................................. 42 Scope of the Imamat Mandate .................................................................. 44 Engagement Strategies and Mechanisms to Fulfil Mandate ..................... 47 Ismaili Governance and Institution Building ........................................................ 48 Ismaili Constitution ................................................................................... 48 Governance ............................................................................................... 53 Self-reliance and Independence ................................................................ 56 Regionalization ......................................................................................... 57 Centralization and Decentralization of Engagement Structures ........................... 58 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 58 CHAPTER 3: AGA KHAN DEVELOPMENT NETWORK (AKDN) BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................. 61 Overview of AKDN .............................................................................................. 61 Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) ........................... 65 Social Development .................................................................................. 66 AKDN Affiliates and Other Organizations ............................................... 70 AKDN funding for programs .................................................................... 71 v Community v. Broader Scale ................................................................................ 72 Authority of His Highness the Aga Khan ............................................................. 74 Din and Dunya – The Balance between Spiritual and Material ............................ 77 Social vs. Economic .............................................................................................. 84 Logic of AKDN /HH/ AKDN Relationship to State ............................................ 88 Regionalization ..................................................................................................... 92 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 93 CHAPTER 4: CANADA CASE STUDY ..................................................................... 97 The Ismaili Community in Canada ....................................................................... 97 Changing Demographics ......................................................................... 100 Previous Studies of the Ismaili Community in Canada .......................... 102 Authority of the Imam ........................................................................................ 104 Structure of the Council and Other Bodies ......................................................... 106 Rationale for Programs and Services ...................................................... 110 Funding for Jamati programs .................................................................. 118 Links with Councils regionally and internationally ................................ 119 Challenges ............................................................................................... 122 AKDN/AKFC and the Ismaili Community Link ................................................ 127 AKDN/AKF in Canada ....................................................................................... 130 Structure .................................................................................................. 130 Role of the Imamat / AKDN as a Buffer/ Force-Field .......................................