INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES IN THE HUMANITIES (IRANIAN JOURNAL OF CULTURAL RESEARCH)
Year:2010 | Volume:2 | Issue:3 (7)|Papers Count:8

The publication of “The Problem of Social Cost” by Ronald Coase in the 1960s shaped a turning point in the interdisciplinary studies between economics and other related disciplines. The pre-coasian economic theories–which mostly belonged to neo-classical school-place no importance on the legal and historical institutions. Coase along with other property rights economists showed that when transaction costs are positive, allocative efficiency is not independent from legal rules and so the legal institutions have a determining role in achieving efficiency. This framework remembers us that when transaction costs are positive, interdisciplinary studies are unavoidable. The rise of “Law and Economics” movement in the academic literature was the natural consequence of the Coase Theorem. In this paper, we shall introduce these new perspectives and their implications for interdisciplinary research about law, economics, and history in Islam. We will see that Coase theorem and the very conception of transaction costs can play an important role in developing Islamic interdisciplinary research on economics and open new research perspectives.

This research analyzes patterns and different interdisciplinary educational programs and takes their propriety with Islamic economics and finance into consideration. Actually, this answers the question that if Islamic economics and finance is going to be held as an interdisciplinary field in the Islamic humanities, which of the main interdisciplinary approaches should be adopted and how much is the potentiality of every interdisciplinary approach herein? Presenting principles “maximum integration” and “maximum usage”, the research shows that proper approach toward Islamic economics and finance is content-based integration and among different approaches, intra-disciplinary and parallel inter-disciplinary approaches can’t secure the principles. Although multi-disciplinary, cross-disciplinary, pluri-disciplinary, trans-disciplinary and post-disciplinary approaches are more appropriate than two previous ones, but in current condition, because of their shortcomings, usage of them is not suggested. Finally, it seems that potentiality and efficiency of Interdisciplinary approach is more than the others. Hence, planner of Islamic economics and finance can utilize this in designing the relevant curriculum. However, in practice, Interdisciplinary approach can be taken as basic and principal approach and simultaneously, advantages of other approaches can be used to strength educational program.

Economics as one of the humanities which is studying the manner of choosing and exchange of people and also the major consequences of these decisions, always will be accused by psychologists to ignore the evidences and the facts. Economics with establishing of behavioral micro-foundation and forming theories based on these assumptions, claims that this scientific field is consistent. Since the unit of analysis of both these sciences is individual and his/her behavior, the interaction between economics and psychology can be used by economists to theorizing in economics. In this paper we point out deficiencies of the some economic theories in meeting the real observations and some theoretical progress towards dialogue of both sciences and we discuss the necessity and importance of interdisciplinary studies in this area. Finally a teaching and research framework will be presented with emphasis on creation of interdisciplinary studies courses.

The purpose of this article is to suggest and apply a conceptual model which is appropriate to recognizing the effective force in economic decision making of humans. This article also illustrate that recognition of effective forces in economic decision making of human beings, is based on interdisciplinary surveys. For this purpose, in this article, at first we introduce four forces namely; economic, social, psychical, and religious, and then analyze the weight of every forces and discuss the consequence of this forces with scrutiny in causality relationship between them. We use the neoclassical orthodox approach in the Keizer model to analyze the three forces and then we use the Islamic doctrine to complete imperfection of that model. Finally, the consequence of this effort is to suggest complete conceptual model in the micro and macro level that can punctiliously and truly forecast decisions of humans in economic and we can use it in the policy making in economic planning.

Islamic Economics can be taken as an integrated science which is so considered in recent years based on codified methods for integration of bi-disciplinary. These methods that are used in accordance with integration of bi-disciplinary approach in global academic sessions, can be categorized as: Parallel Disciplinary Approach, Multi-Disciplinary Approach, and Supra/Trans-Disciplinary Approach. Nevertheless integrated approaches already drew attention of so many experts as the most designated basis of Islamic economics design model. But, there is a significant issue that is natural difference of Islam and economics as two integrated disciplines. So that economics is a human science while Islam is a divine religion. Therefore mentioned methods have not any compatibility in Islamic economics science and needs deep understanding of islamic concepts (power of Ijtihad) as the complementary element.From the point view of the method, this research based on approaches of bi-disciplinary integration, while tries to propose its analysis about necessity of deep understanding of Islam, proves that in spite of difference in difficulty level of applying those approaches, deep understanding of Islam in any approach is vital, and direct joining  of these two disciplines is not possible unless to be done by an expert one and this expertise cannot be accomplished unless with Ijtihad, comprehending in religion and this issue can be applicable and possible with due to different level of exegesis in shia fighh.

The elimination of institutions from economic analysis can be thought of as the most important cause in making economics as a separate science. The direct result of this step, which shows the desire of mainstream economics to follow physics in order to get the merit of "science" by wearing mathematical crown, was the dereliction of interdisciplinary studies and disregarding of ethics and politics. So, it can be claimed that, the elimination of institutions is one of the most unpleasant events in the history of economic thought and led this branch of human knowledge in an arena free from reality and full of mathematical abstractions. Regarding this fact, it seems necessary to study the causes of this neglect. This necessity encouraged us to fill the existing gap in the related literature and bring some reasons to light. In order to reach to this goal, using content and textual analysis methods, some major causes of ignoring institutions is identified, among which the following can be pointed: intense desire of some economists to follow physics, their mistake in separating economics from human sciences, the impacts of political events, and a set of epistemological and methodological reasons.

This study indicates that essential perceptions and scholarly conceptions in social sciences are remarkably distinguished from each other. They are individualism, holism, collectivism, and systemism. It further deals with the point that socio-economic factors and institutions have a causative interrelation. An independent and isolated study of these institutions can never give a true and proper understanding of these issues. This goal is not achievable but through synthetic and interdisciplinary conceptions including holistic, and systemic methods.

In this paper we discuss about effective method of research and education of Islamic economics through inter-disciplinary procedure.  Nowadays this procedure in advance methodology of education in economics has been concentrated as “Focused Interest Group” (FIG). Although the purpose of positivist economists about FIG is related to profit-oriented of inter-disciplinary procedure, but in Islamic economics, this attitude has sustainable economic development, whereby secure and cover positive as well as normative approach of educational materials to help certain efficiency of knowledge.This procedure of education had been focused in Islamic literatures, and also in holy Qur’an (12/108 & 39/17-18) before attention of western countries. Therefore, in this research, significant view of scholars, lecturers and researchers of Islamic economics, acquired through questioners, and the results of research has been analyzed. Achieving prerequisite and diversity connections of Islamic economics’ and its indispensable educational materials, help us to modeling an inter-disciplinary framework that it may mutate other human sciences structure.