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
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
Looking Backward: A Cross-National Study of Religious Trends [Iannaccone]
Laurence R. Iannaccone
Abstract: Retrospective questions in the 1991 and 1998 ISSP surveys yield detailed estimates of religious trends across dozens of countries. The estimates span most of the 20th century and appear to be remarkably consistent, reliable, and unbiased. Retrospective data thus greatly increase our knowledge of recent religious history, and retrospective methods provide inexpensive means to expand it further still. Even a cursory analysis of the ISSP data offer numerous new insights regarding secularization, the impact of Vatican II, religion and gender, religious repression, and the religious socialization of youth. The potential for further insights is immense.
File:
Iannaccone - Looking Backward.pdf [155.69KB]
File:
Iannaccone - Looking Backward - Supplement A.pdf [83.04KB]
Published 07/29/2003
Filed under: (2003), *iannaccone, attendance, issp, religion, retrospective, trends
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
Skewness Explained: A Rational Choice Model of Religious Giving [Iannaccone]
Laurence R. Iannaccone
Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 1997
Abstract: This paper explores the determinants of religious giving through simulations, economic theory, and survey data. Skewness, a distinctive yet poorly understood feature of religious giving, proves to be an inevitable consequence of the weak correlation between absolute levels of income and percentage rates of giving. The weak correlation can be derived, in turn, from a formal, rational choice model of religious participation. Data from the General Social Surveys show that this model also accounts for many other observed patterns in giving and church attendance.
File:
Iannaccone - Skewness Explained.pdf [1.55MB]
File:
Iannaccone - Skewness Explained -D.pdf [77.34KB]
Published 06/01/1997
Filed under: (1997), *iannaccone, attendance, contributions, economics of religion, giving, gss, philanthropy, rational choice, rationality, religion, skewness