Podcast: Islamic public value – launching a new global network

24.09.2025
Podcast: Islamic public value – launching a new global network. 24.09.2025. Professor Wolfgang Drechsler, Professor of Governance at the Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance, Tallinn University of Technology, and Honorary Professor at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, together with Dr Salah Chafik, Senior Research Fellow at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, join us to discuss this new frontier in governance research. Wolfgang and Salah explore the concept in depth – from its roots and meaning to its implications for public institutions in both Islamic and non-Islamic contexts. They offer insights into how Islamic ethical and legal frameworks shape ideas of the public good, how institutions built on these principles operate, and what lessons they may hold for Western public administration. The conversation also looks ahead: to the role of the newly launched network and the opportunities it offers for scholars and practitioners worldwide. Tune in to discover: Where the idea of studying Islamic public value comes from, and why now. How the concept differs from secular theories of public value in the West. Which institutions embody Islamic public value, and what they can teach us in times of societal challenge. Whether Islamic public value can exist independently of the state, or whether it is bound to governance structures and culture. The aims of the newly established Islamic Public Value Network, and how scholars and future scholars can engage with it. The Innovation and Governance podcast is hosted by Peeter Vihma, a researcher at the Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance. The podcast is also available on Spotify.
Professor Wolfgang Drechsler and Dr Salah Chafik discuss Islamic public value – its roots, impact on institutions, and the launch of a new global network.

Professor Wolfgang Drechsler and Dr Salah Chafik discuss Islamic public value – its roots, impact on institutions, and the launch of a new global network.

A significant event took place at Tallinn University of Technology on 17 September: the launch of the Islamic Public Value Network. This initiative crowns a major research project on Islamic public value, supported by the John Templeton Foundation. But what exactly is Islamic public value? How does it respond to today’s societal challenges, and why does it matter for governance across the world?

Professor Wolfgang Drechsler, Professor of Governance at the Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance, Tallinn University of Technology, and Honorary Professor at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, together with Dr Salah Chafik, Senior Research Fellow at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, join us to discuss this new frontier in governance research.

Wolfgang and Salah explore the concept in depth – from its roots and meaning to its implications for public institutions in both Islamic and non-Islamic contexts. They offer insights into how Islamic ethical and legal frameworks shape ideas of the public good, how institutions built on these principles operate, and what lessons they may hold for Western public administration. The conversation also looks ahead: to the role of the newly launched network and the opportunities it offers for scholars and practitioners worldwide.

Tune in to discover:

  • Where the idea of studying Islamic public value comes from, and why now.
  • How the concept differs from secular theories of public value in the West.
  • Which institutions embody Islamic public value, and what they can teach us in times of societal challenge.
  • Whether Islamic public value can exist independently of the state, or whether it is bound to governance structures and culture.
  • The aims of the newly established Islamic Public Value Network, and how scholars and future scholars can engage with it.

The Innovation and Governance podcast is hosted by Peeter Vihma, a researcher at the Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance. The podcast is also available on Spotify.