Beyond Religious Boundaries: Advancing Non- Western Public Administration through Principal-Agent Dynamics in Inclusive Youth Community Services

Abstract

This study aims to examine Islamic Public Administration (IPA) as a non-Western governance paradigm, focusing on its implementation through inclusive youth community services. Based on Islamic values of justice, compassion, and social responsibility, we examine IPA through a principal-agent theory in which faith-based groups behave as agents answerable to both God and society. By applying these principles, faith communities’ social provision has effectively become supplements to government social services. These collective efforts occur particularly at the neighborhood level, where vulnerable people can be reached easier by non-state social service providers within such communities. These inclusive social services show that faith-often Sufi-based networks do not encourage extremism but instead support justice and inclusion for everyone regardless of their religion. This study argues for IPA as a morally sound and bureaucratically legitimate model for public administration as an alternative to secular government, particularly in multicultural and multireligious settings.