Economics of Religion

FYSEMR 73X Subject & Catalog Number

Description

The social-science approach to religion seeks to explain how religions evolve, make us richer or poorer, and influence the daily lives of people around the world. A controversial, but useful, approach views organized religion as a market in which alternative religions and non-religion compete for customer business. This perspective helps to understand Adam Smith’s idea that the vibrancy of religion is affected by state regulation and the presence of a state religion. We can also consider whether the role of religion tends, systematically, to decline with economic development, a phenomenon called “secularization.”

In addition, we can assess effects from regulations instituted by formal religions, such as Islam’s prohibitions on corporate ownership and restrictions in the legal and financial areas. Building on these types of ideas, the economics of religion has become a broad and exciting field of research. One example of current research is my joint work that includes estimates of religious-service attendance for 66 countries going back to 1920. My co-authors and I are analyzing how this measure of religious participation reacted to Vatican II (for Catholics after 1965), to the ending of communism in many countries in the early 1990s, and to the broad history of war and economic depression. The syllabus will organize these and other topics into 13 classes, 12 of which will be led by students.

NOTE: The items on the syllabus constitute serious substantive research but are accessible in their main ideas to first-year students without a lot of technical background. However, it will be useful for students to have some exposure to economics, such as fall term ECON 10; We will visit religion-related objects at Fogg Art Museum and will have in-class visits from some of the authors of articles.