Actors in the Distribution of Welfare: Politics, Economy, and Culture

This paper focuses on both the classic and recent debates concerning the welfare state. The goal is to determine the actors in the emergence of modern welfare states. I claim social and cultural elements in the social provision of welfare is relevant as a distinct category, and identify waqf as a religio-cultural institution and zakat as a religio-cultural practice that played and still plays influential role in the distribution of welfare in the case of Turkey. I suggest, if a welfare regime description of Turkey would be made, waqf and zakat are indispensable and must be analyzed.