Recent studies on religion and economics

ceo_esq · 31st January 2004, 12:01 PM

A NYT article picked up in today’s International Herald-Tribune reports on some new research into the relationship between religion and economic development:

Quote:

Forget investment and savings rates, worker productivity and wage scales to determine which countries will become richer or poorer. What really stimulates economic growth is whether you believe in an afterlife - especially hell.

At least that is what two Harvard scholars have found after analyzing data collected in 59 countries from 1981 to 1999. "Our central perspective is that religion affects economic outcomes mainly by fostering religious beliefs that influence individual traits such as honesty, work ethic, thrift and openness to strangers," the researchers, Robert Barro and Rachel McCleary, wrote in the American Sociological Review.

...

As the team began its research, McCleary said, it was clear that the widely discussed secularization thesis - the idea that a country becomes more secular as it becomes richer and more industrialized - did not apply to the United States, one of the most religious nations in the world.

And over the past 30 years, many East Asian countries, including Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea, have experienced both rapid economic growth and the spread of Christianity, Barro said.

One of the major challenges to such research is that countries that vary in their religious beliefs and practices also vary in ways that have nothing to do with religion, said Paola Sapienza, a professor of finance at Northwestern University. "Are you really picking up religion, or something that correlates with it, like certain laws or social and economic institutions?" she asked. Last year in the Journal of Monetary Economics, Sapienza, Luigi Zingales of the University of Chicago and Luigi Guiso of the University of Sassari in Rome published a paper that did not compare countries but looked at the relationship between religious beliefs and the attitudes shown to foster economic growth.

In 50 countries, they analyzed the relationship between religion and attitudes toward cooperation, the market economy, laws and women. "On average," they wrote, "religious beliefs are associated with good economic attitudes, where good is defined as conducive to higher per capita income."

Look for the Bush Administration to introduce a faith-based economic stimulus package in the first quarter of next year.

Zero · 31st January 2004, 12:10 PM

This seems to contradict the situation in the U.S., which seem to be that the "Bible Belt" states are behind the rest of the country economically.

ceo_esq · 31st January 2004, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Zero
This seems to contradict the situation in the U.S., which seem to be that the "Bible Belt" states are behind the rest of the country economically.

Yes and no. Some of the weakest economies in the country are found in the Bible Belt, but so are some of the strongest economies (such as North Carolina's). In addition, the agrarian South's economy lagged well before the Bible Belt became distinguishable from the rest of the country in terms of the religiousity of its population, which suggests that other factors account for it. More importantly, however, I suspect that many of the economic analyses that work for country-to-country comparisons don't work very well for state-to-state comparisons because of the overwhelming influence of national economic policy on state economies.

EDITED TO ADD: Also, some of the economists cited in the article indicated that past a certain point, increases in church attendance tended to depress economic growth. Perhaps in the Bible Belt, religion has exceeded the ideal level for a good economy and the religious institutions there are consuming a disproportionate share of resources.

DialecticMaterialist · 31st January 2004, 08:42 PM

Actually many of the wealthiest nation's on earth, such as Japan, Germany, and Northern Europe are also the most secular, according to scientific america's measure of modernity. Likewise many of the poorest are very, very religious, this includes south america, south africa and middle eastern.

http://www.sciamdigital.com/browse.c...wnloadfromcart

http://www.swt.org/share/modernity-sciam-1203high64.pdf

Also , I would have to ask, even if religion is somehow tied to wealth, is it tied to happiness? Scientific American also shows that merely being wealthy, does not make you happy.

http://botany1.bio.utk.edu/skeptic/r...ue-ethics.html

The same study btw, shows that religion is tied to intolerance towards those of different races, and foreigners, and negative attitudes about women.

I'm not so sure about this, perhaps because I generally distrust sociology and sociology journals.

I'd have to see more to support such views, but according to what I know of scientific american, the most religious countries are those I generally associate with the poorest.

This could be a very complicated matter however, so who knows.

DialecticMaterialist · 31st January 2004, 08:44 PM

Also I'm wondering if they took into account Marxist countries, which would of course be poor, though secular. Not because they are secular, but due to the possesion of a socialist economy.

Yahweh · 31st January 2004, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ceo_esq
Look for the Bush Administration to introduce a faith-based economic stimulus package in the first quarter of next year.

Hopefully we will smart enough to vote Democratic when the time comes...

31st January 2004, 12:01 PM	#1
ceo_esq Illuminator Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 4,940	Recent studies on religion and economics A NYT article picked up in today’s International Herald-Tribune reports on some new research into the relationship between religion and economic development: Quote: Forget investment and savings rates, worker productivity and wage scales to determine which countries will become richer or poorer. What really stimulates economic growth is whether you believe in an afterlife - especially hell. At least that is what two Harvard scholars have found after analyzing data collected in 59 countries from 1981 to 1999. "Our central perspective is that religion affects economic outcomes mainly by fostering religious beliefs that influence individual traits such as honesty, work ethic, thrift and openness to strangers," the researchers, Robert Barro and Rachel McCleary, wrote in the American Sociological Review. ... As the team began its research, McCleary said, it was clear that the widely discussed secularization thesis - the idea that a country becomes more secular as it becomes richer and more industrialized - did not apply to the United States, one of the most religious nations in the world. And over the past 30 years, many East Asian countries, including Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea, have experienced both rapid economic growth and the spread of Christianity, Barro said. One of the major challenges to such research is that countries that vary in their religious beliefs and practices also vary in ways that have nothing to do with religion, said Paola Sapienza, a professor of finance at Northwestern University. "Are you really picking up religion, or something that correlates with it, like certain laws or social and economic institutions?" she asked. Last year in the Journal of Monetary Economics, Sapienza, Luigi Zingales of the University of Chicago and Luigi Guiso of the University of Sassari in Rome published a paper that did not compare countries but looked at the relationship between religious beliefs and the attitudes shown to foster economic growth. In 50 countries, they analyzed the relationship between religion and attitudes toward cooperation, the market economy, laws and women. "On average," they wrote, "religious beliefs are associated with good economic attitudes, where good is defined as conducive to higher per capita income." Look for the Bush Administration to introduce a faith-based economic stimulus package in the first quarter of next year.
ceo_esq Illuminator Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 4,940

31st January 2004, 12:10 PM	#2
Zero Graduate Poster Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 1,535	This seems to contradict the situation in the U.S., which seem to be that the "Bible Belt" states are behind the rest of the country economically.
Zero Graduate Poster Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 1,535	__________________ "I felt like putting a bullet between the eyes of every Panda that wouldn't screw to save its species. I wanted to open the dump valves on oil tankers and smother all the French beaches I'd never see. I wanted to breathe smoke.

31st January 2004, 12:59 PM	#3
ceo_esq Illuminator Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 4,940	Quote: Originally posted by Zero This seems to contradict the situation in the U.S., which seem to be that the "Bible Belt" states are behind the rest of the country economically. Yes and no. Some of the weakest economies in the country are found in the Bible Belt, but so are some of the strongest economies (such as North Carolina's). In addition, the agrarian South's economy lagged well before the Bible Belt became distinguishable from the rest of the country in terms of the religiousity of its population, which suggests that other factors account for it. More importantly, however, I suspect that many of the economic analyses that work for country-to-country comparisons don't work very well for state-to-state comparisons because of the overwhelming influence of national economic policy on state economies. EDITED TO ADD: Also, some of the economists cited in the article indicated that past a certain point, increases in church attendance tended to depress economic growth. Perhaps in the Bible Belt, religion has exceeded the ideal level for a good economy and the religious institutions there are consuming a disproportionate share of resources.
ceo_esq Illuminator Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 4,940

31st January 2004, 08:42 PM	#4
DialecticMaterialist Graduate Poster Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 1,022	Actually many of the wealthiest nation's on earth, such as Japan, Germany, and Northern Europe are also the most secular, according to scientific america's measure of modernity. Likewise many of the poorest are very, very religious, this includes south america, south africa and middle eastern. http://www.sciamdigital.com/browse.c...wnloadfromcart http://www.swt.org/share/modernity-sciam-1203high64.pdf Also , I would have to ask, even if religion is somehow tied to wealth, is it tied to happiness? Scientific American also shows that merely being wealthy, does not make you happy. http://botany1.bio.utk.edu/skeptic/r...ue-ethics.html The same study btw, shows that religion is tied to intolerance towards those of different races, and foreigners, and negative attitudes about women. I'm not so sure about this, perhaps because I generally distrust sociology and sociology journals. I'd have to see more to support such views, but according to what I know of scientific american, the most religious countries are those I generally associate with the poorest. This could be a very complicated matter however, so who knows.
	__________________ Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger." -Herman Goering (Hitler's designated successor)

31st January 2004, 08:44 PM	#5
DialecticMaterialist Graduate Poster Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 1,022	Also I'm wondering if they took into account Marxist countries, which would of course be poor, though secular. Not because they are secular, but due to the possesion of a socialist economy.
	__________________ Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger." -Herman Goering (Hitler's designated successor)

31st January 2004, 09:27 PM	#6
Yahweh Ayay ashay ayay Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 9,029	Re: Recent studies on religion and economics Quote: Originally posted by ceo_esq Look for the Bush Administration to introduce a faith-based economic stimulus package in the first quarter of next year. Hopefully we will smart enough to vote Democratic when the time comes...
Yahweh Ayay ashay ayay Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 9,029