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
Corruption, Faith and Economic Growth [Stapleford]
John E. Stapleford
Eastern University
Corruption, most particularly the misuse of public power for personal gain, is increasingly recognized as an important deterrent to economic growth in less developed countries. This research will explore two issues. First, the relationship between corruption, the business climate and economic growth will be examined. Second, the determinants of the level of corruption, including religion, will be identified. The former is essential to long term economic health. The latter is critical as the identification of the determinants of corruption is a necessary (albeit not sufficient) step to taking action to reduce the level of corruption within a nation.
File: Stapleford-ASREC2007.doc [165.50KB]
Published 11/02/2007
Filed under: (2007), *stapleford, corruption, economic growth
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
Does economic development cause a decline in religiosity? Explaining the separation between Church and State in France in 1905 [Franck]
Raphaël Franck
Bar Ilan University
This paper provides a test of the secularization hypothesis, which argues that economic development leads to a decline in religiosity, by focusing on the support for the separation of Church and State in France. It examines whether the representatives who supported the separation in the lower house of Parliament on 3 July 1905 were indeed returned in the most developed areas of France. Our results provide scant evidence for the secularization hypothesis. Rather, they seem to indicate that the decline in faith originated in the most rural areas of the countries, where the teachings of the Church were progressively rejected. Keywords: Economic Growth; Elections; Religion; Secularization.
File: franck 030907 ASREC.pdf [81.07KB]
Published 11/02/2007
Filed under: (2007), *franck, @asrec'07, economic growth, elections, france, religion, secularization