Religious Extremism: Origins and Consequences [Iannaccone]
Laurence R. Iannaccone
Contemporary Jewry, 1999
Abstract: Economic perspectives enhance our understanding of religious beliefs, activities, and institutions. This essay outlines an economic theory of supernaturalism that accounts for the failure of secularization theories, the contrasting character of religion and magic, and the continued vitality of extremely demanding religious groups. Drawing upon insights that date back to Adam Smith, the theory also explains why extremism and state support often combine to produce religious militancy.
File: Iannaccone - Religious Extremism Origins and Consequences1.pdf [1.37MB]
Published 12/01/1999
Filed under: (1999), *iannaccone, adam smith, david hume, extremism, fundamentalism, magic, militancy, religion, supernaturalism
Toward a Theory of Religious "Fundamentalism" [Iannaccone]
Laurence R. Iannaccone
Santa Clara University
Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics
This essay outlines an economic approach to the study of sectarian religion, an approach that explains and integrates many of the empirical findings concerning contemporary “fundamentalism”. It also seeks to identify assumptions that have biased previous studies, causing them to overstate fundamentalism’s threat and misinterpret the causes of fundamentalist militancy (JEL: Z1).
File: Iannaccone - FTheory.pdf [1.75MB]
Published 03/01/1997
Filed under: (1997), *iannaccone, economics of religion, fundamentalism, sect