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DLW
Registered Member
Date Joined Apr 2003
Total Posts : 2457
| Posted 5/15/2003 7:11 AM (GMT -6) |   | This article does an empirical study of the relationship between religious beliefs and Economic Growth. It seems that a belief in the after life and a heaven and hell makes social control easier. I.e., even if you are not being monitored, you will be less likely to steal if you believe God is monitoring you. This reduces the uncertainy regarding inventory and the need to spend money preventing theft so more money can be spent on long-term investments.
"Religion and Economic Growth"
BY: ROBERT J. BARRO
Harvard University
Department of Economics
National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
RACHEL M. MCCLEARY
Harvard University
Weatherhead Center for International Affairs
(WCFIA)
Document: Available from the SSRN Electronic Paper Collection:
http://papers.ssrn.com/paper.taf?abstract_id=406054
Paper ID: NBER Working Paper No. W9682
Date: May 2003
Contact: ROBERT J. BARRO
Email: Mailto:rbarro@harvard.edu
Postal: Harvard University
Department of Economics
Littauer Center
Cambridge, MA 02138 UNITED STATES
Phone: 617-495-3203
Co-Auth: RACHEL M. MCCLEARY
Email: Mailto:mccleary@cfia.harvard.edu
Postal: Harvard University
Weatherhead Center for International Affairs
(WCFIA)
Cambridge, MA 02138 UNITED STATES
ABSTRACT:
Empirical research on the determinants of economic growth has
typically neglected the influence of religion. To fill this gap,
we use international survey data on religiosity for a broad
panel of countries to investigate the effects of church
attendance and religious beliefs on economic growth. To isolate
the direction of causation from religiosity to economic
performance, we use instrumental variables suggested by our
analysis of systems in which church attendance and beliefs are
the dependent variables. The instruments are dummy variables for
the presence of state religion and for regulation of the
religion market, an indicator of religious pluralism, and the
composition of religions. We find that economic growth responds
positively to the extent of religious beliefs, notably those in
hell and heaven, but negatively to church attendance. That is,
growth depends on the extent of believing relative to belonging.
These results accord with a perspective in which religious
beliefs influence individual traits that enhance economic
performance. The beliefs are, in turn, the principal output of
the religion sector, and church attendance measures the inputs
to this sector. Hence, for given beliefs, more church attendance
signifies more resources used up by the religion sector.
JEL Classification: O1, O4, Z1
Prayer from Kenya
From the Cowardice that dare not face new truth,
From the Laziness that is contented with half-truth,
From the Arrogance that thinks it knows all truth,
Lord Deliver Me.
Edited by - DLW on 05/25/2003 2:56:37 PM | | Back to Top | | |
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DLW
Registered Member
Date Joined Apr 2003
Total Posts : 2457
| Posted 5/15/2003 8:12 AM (GMT -6) | | Note:I am not endorsing the views in this paper, which treats religion as both a cost-effective form of social-control as well as an inefficient, wasteful use of resources that could have been used to encourage more growth.
Growth-types in Economics tend to wear normative-principles on their sleeves, while insisting that they are doing positive economics.
dlw
Prayer from Kenya
From the Cowardice that dare not face new truth,
From the Laziness that is contented with half-truth,
From the Arrogance that thinks it knows all truth,
Lord Deliver Me. | | Back to Top | | |
|
DLW
Registered Member
Date Joined Apr 2003
Total Posts : 2457
| Posted 5/15/2003 8:44 AM (GMT -6) | | It would be interesting to see whether the study's findings changed much if instead they used as a control variable whether or not people in a given area/country believe in Santa-Claus.
dlw
Prayer from Kenya
From the Cowardice that dare not face new truth,
From the Laziness that is contented with half-truth,
From the Arrogance that thinks it knows all truth,
Lord Deliver Me. | | Back to Top | | |
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