From Redistribution to Orchestration: A Conceptual Model for the Women^s Empowerment Zakat Service Platform
Budi Dharma (a*), Togar M. Simatupang (a), Santi Novani (a), Kyoichi Kijima (b)

a) School of Business and Management, Bandung Institute of Technology
Jalan Ganesha 10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia
*budidharma[at]uinsu.ac.id
b) Department of Value and Decision Science, Institute of Science Tokyo
Tokyo, Japan.

Abstract

This study proposes a paradigm shift in Islamic social finance by reframing Zakat not as a one-way redistribution mechanism, but as an orchestrated, ethically governed service ecosystem. Drawing from field research with 302 women micro-entrepreneurs in Indonesia, the study identifies structural barriers and behavioral constraints-ranging from financial exclusion to cognitive risk patterns-that hinder the effectiveness of empowerment efforts. Through abductive reasoning and a synthesis of Service Systems Theory, value co-creation logic, Maqasid al-Shariah, and behavioral finance, the paper develops a mid-range theory: the Zakat Service Platform for Women^s Empowerment. This theory is then operationalized into the Zakat-Orchestrated Empowerment Platform, a conceptual model that guides zakat institutions in delivering adaptive, personalized, and ethically aligned support for women entrepreneurs. The platform framework outlines a co-creation journey across Kijima^s four phases model-co-definition, co-experience, co-development, and co-elevation-each designed to foster sustained inclusion, trust, and financial accountability. The study contributes a novel integration of Islamic ethics and service systems thinking, offering both theoretical innovation and practical design logic for reimagining zakat as a platform for long-term empowerment.

Keywords: Zakat Service Platform- Value Co-Creation- Woman Entrepreneurs- Financial Inclusion- Behavioral Empowerment

Topic: Islamic social finance