Abstract:

İn the world and Turkey, it is observed that the increasing inequity in income distribution. According to TUİK (2019) data, in Turkey, the share of the country with the highest income of 20% decreased by 1.3 points compared to the previous year and decreased by 46.3%, while the share of the 20% group increased by 0.1 points compared to the previous year and increased by 6.3%. Banking services also play a major role in this unfair distribution. Today’s banking services can be regarded as a reflection of Friedman’s (1953) understanding that economic activities cannot be built according to ethics and norms. However, İslam also wants to establish justice in social and economic life. The role of İslamic banks in this matter should not be exactly like conventional banks. Participation banks cannot only pursue profit like other commercial banks, but they must also fulfill the distributive justice role of banks in accordance with İslam. One of the most important problems of İslamic finance, it is noteworthy that the social justice concept offered by the participation banks was not enough to propose solutions and create alternatives. The aim of this study is to examine the role of participation banks in providing social justice and to make inferences about their commercial goals and social responsibility activities. İn line with this purpose, “Should participation banks have a social responsibility mission besides their commercial goals?” and “How will they carry out their social responsibility mission together with their commercial goals?” The answers to the questions are sought. İn the study, a literature search was conducted on the subject, the activity reports of participation banks were examined and the findings were evaluated with the descriptive research method. According to the results of the study, it has been determined that there is a difference between the performance of the social justice role expected from participation banks in practice. İn addition, it has been observed that participation banks do not use İslamic economic instruments sufficiently, that participation banks do not make enough efforts to offer solutions and create alternatives in providing social justice, and cannot provide sufficient support to other alternative institutions. İn this context, examples where participation banks can provide social justice in practice have been examined and various suggestions have been presented. Due to the limited number of studies dealing with the role of participation banking in ensuring social justice, it is aimed to contribute to the literature. 

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