International Christian Organizations and the Development of Sub-Saharan Africa – A Critical Study [Tiburcio]
James Tiburcio
Universidade de Brasília
According to recent studies cited by Doces and Woodberry (2006), there are great difficulties in linking international state-to-state aid and economic growth. Woodberry (2004) demonstrates the importance of international Christian missionary work as a source of economic growth and development. Since the Christian Mission in Africa International Conference held at Le Zonte, Belgium, September 14-20, 1926 (Davis, 1927), there has been special interest in studying the contribution of international Christian organizations especially in education, which Woodberry (2004), points out, leads to human capital accumulation, directly contributing towards greater economic growth and development. Has Christian missionary activity had a positive impact on the socio-economic scenario in Sub-Saharan Africa in the last sixty years? This paper will examine the impacts of international Christian organizations in Sub-Saharan Africa through the analyses of past academic, institutional and governmental studies and data on the subject. I will focus on international Christian organizations which have worked primarily in educational projects. Regarded by many as another tool used by western nation-states to institute a hegemonic pro-western mindset (Hickling-Hudson, 2004), these organizations have long been active in the African continent.
File: Tiburcio%2C%20James__ASREC-SSSR_Panel_B7_Nov_02_2007.pdf [304.81KB]
Published 11/02/2007
Filed under: (2007), *tiburcio, africa, asrec'07, economic development, economic growth, human capital
Interest Bans and Institutions: An Economic Theory of Inhibitive Law Persistence in Islam and Christianity [Rubin]
Jared Rubin
California State University, Fullerton
Until recently, many scholars attributed the divergence in Middle Eastern and Western European economic development to the “conservative nature” of Islam. This paper departs from such scholarship, suggesting that institutions supporting economically inhibitive laws are more likely to be self-enforcing in the Muslim world – providing an appearance of conservatism. A theoretical model suggests that this outcome stems from the greater degree of overlap between religious and political authorities in Islam. I substantiate this claim by analyzing interest bans, highlighting the mechanisms supporting both the ban’s persistence in Islam and the emergence of inflexible credit-extending institutions in the Ottoman Empire.
File: Rubin-InterestBansInstitutions-10-21-07ASREC.pdf [381.22KB]
Published 11/02/2007
Filed under: (2007), *rubin, @asrec'07, economic development, economic growth, economic history, islam, legitimacy
Religion and Economic Development in the post-Socialist Countries [Krasnozhon]
Leonid A. Krasnozhon
George Mason University
The transition of post-socialist countries from socialism to capitalism and from autocracy to democracy is conventionally considered to be one of the major events in the modern history of world economic development. The fact that some countries were more successful in transition than others inspires and continues to inspire a large number of empirical research typically focusing on the determinants of economic development while ignoring the impact of religion. This study is an attempt to fill this gap and investigate the differential impact of main religious denominations on economic development in post-communist countries.
File: Kraznozhon-Rel&EconDeviPostSoc.pdf [327.98KB]
Published 11/02/2007
Filed under: (2007), *krasnozhon, @asrec'07, economic development, post-communist countries, religion