Levy, Gilat 
ORCID: 0009-0006-7641-1668 and Razin, Ronny ORCID: 0009-0009-5169-0180
(2009)
Religious organizations.
Discussion paper (TE/2009/544).
Suntory and Toyota International Centres for Economics and Related Disciplines, London, UK.
Abstract
We propose a model of religious organizations which relies on the ability of such organizations to affect individual beliefs about the causality between actions in the social context and personal utility shocks. We show how religious organizations arise endogenously and characterize their features. Specifically, we find that members of the religious organization share similar beliefs and are more likely to cooperate with one another in social interactions. We identify a "spiritual" as well as a "material" payoff for members of the religious organization. Our results explain and shed light on empirical phenomena such as the effects of secularization and economic development on religious beliefs and participation, the relation between the size of the religion and the intensity of its members' beliefs, religious segregation and religious conflicts.
| Item Type: | Monograph (Discussion Paper) |
|---|---|
| Official URL: | http://sticerd.lse.ac.uk/dps/te/te544.pdf |
| Additional Information: | © 2009 The Authors |
| Divisions: | Economics |
| Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BL Religion H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) |
| JEL classification: | Z - Other Special Topics > Z1 - Cultural Economics; Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology > Z12 - Religion |
| Date Deposited: | 13 Dec 2010 16:17 |
| Last Modified: | 11 Dec 2024 18:58 |
| URI: | http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/30706 |
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