Zakat is an obligatory Islamic practice that promotes redistribution of wealth in Muslim-majority countries. It functions by channelling resources from those who have enough to those considered deprived. This redistributive mandate places it in close proximity to non-contributory social assistance. Yet, in practice, zakat programmes vary widely in their legal status, governance arrangements, benefit design, and coordination with state-led social protection systems. This article asks: under what conditions can zakat contribute to the realization of social protection floors (SPFs) in national social protection systems? Drawing on a qualitative comparative case study of Jordan and Pakistan and using the International Labour Organization's SPF framework as the main analytical lens, the analysis is structured around four SPF-related dimensions: institutional governance, coverage and targeting, adequacy of benefits, and integration with national social protection frameworks. The findings suggest that zakat can complement national floors by extending support to poor and vulnerable groups, but its contribution remains conditional. Importantly, zakat cannot substitute for state-guaranteed social protection as a legal entitlement. Its relevance lies in complementing rights-based systems in financing and/or delivery, provided that governance, transparency and targeting safeguards are maintained. In both Jordan and Pakistan, limited coverage and adequacy, fragmented coordination, and reliance on discretionary beneficiary selection constrain SPF-alignment. Moreover, weak trust and governance challenges undermine compliance and predictability, particularly where zakat revenues depend on voluntary contributions or are vulnerable to evasion. The article concludes that zakat's SPF potential is most likely to be realized when governance and transparency mechanisms strengthen public trust, targeting rules are clear and monitored, benefits are predictable and closer to basic needs, and coordination is institutionalized through shared systems such as interoperable registries and consistent eligibility verification.
In 2004, the book Financing social protection was published by the International Labour Office in collaboration with the International Social Security Association. The book showcased a pedagogical philosophy which underlined that learning and knowledge production are not sequential activities but simultaneous ones, and that young professionals are capable of contributing from the outset of their careers. This philosophy is the intellectual and institutional thread that connects the 2004 volume to the five articles selected from the finalists of The Michael Cichon Graduate Award for Outstanding Thesis - 2025 that appear in this themed issue. Since 2004, investment in education and research has strengthened the ability to simulate, evaluate impacts, and analyse social protection institutions comparatively. But in practice, billions of people remain without adequate coverage. Institutional reach and coverage gaps continue. Innovative new ways of thinking about issues of policy and administration, along with innovative new thinkers, are needed. Grounded in rigorous research methods and solid policy analysis, the articles in this themed issue share a commitment to bridging analysis and implementation and are committed to rights-based approaches and to human dignity. However, the approach taken here is also pragmatic. In this regard, the papers mirror the rigorous analysis and research that Michael Cichon's life work emphasized as necessary to help argue the case for and promote the development of rights-based social protection for all.
This article evaluates the impact of foreign aid on multidimensional health outcomes in developing countries. Using 26 indicators from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 2 and SDG 3), the study constructs six composite health dimensions and analyse panel data on 131 countries (2000-2021) with fixed-effects cross-lagged panel models. The results show significant positive effects of official development assistance (ODA) on reproductive fatalities, burden of disease, and environmental mortality, but a negative effect on health system capacity. The study concludes that ODA alleviates specific health burdens but lacks transformative power to achieve long-term resilience and sustainable development. The study recommends prioritizing health infrastructure and system building as a fundamental component of global development efforts.
