Integrating Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) with Sustainable Financial Governance: A Dharma Based Framework for Inclusive Economic Decision - Making

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-615-4_8How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Indian Knowledge Systems; Sustainable Finance; Financial governance; Dharma ethical; finance Inclusive Development

Abstract

The global financial system is experiencing a fundamental shift in response to escalating concerns about environmental degradation, ethical failures, governance crises and socio - economic inequalities. While modern frameworks exist today to address these questions like sustainable finance, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) integration, or stakeholder capitalism, they are still very much rooted in Western utilitarian and shareholder centred paradigms. It is in this context that Indian Knowledge Systems provide a holistic, value based, ethically grounded alternative for re-sharing concepts of financial governance. Based on the fundamental principles of Indian philosophy - Dharma, Artha, Lokasangraha, trusteeship and intergenerational responsibility - this article proposes a Dharma Based Framework for Sustainable Financial Governance. Anchored in interdisciplinary research and recent literature in the fields of sustainable finance and governance, the study provides a conceptual model and its relevance with empirical and policy research evidence from the Indian financial system, covering ESG finance, ethical banking, financial inclusion and public finance reforms. By combining IKS with modern financial decision-making, the article adds to the academic research questions in the fields of management and finance as a means of presenting an indigenous, cultural and ethically strong structure that matches the goals of the National Education Policy 2020 and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Jenifer Sonwani
AU  - Preeti Shrivastav
AU  - Vinod M. Lakhwani
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/15
TI  - Integrating Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) with Sustainable Financial Governance: A Dharma Based Framework for Inclusive Economic Decision - Making
BT  - Proceedings of the Anubhuti 4.0: Discourses in Indian Knowledge Systems – Pathways of Culture, Inclusion, and Sustainability (ICIKS 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 88
EP  - 93
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-615-4_8
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-615-4_8
ID  - Sonwani2026
ER  -