Download or read book An Economic Approach To Religion written by Michael Mcbride and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2022-08-29 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why is religion so widespread? Why do individuals donate large amounts of time, money, and effort to religious groups? What forms does the religious competition take? Why are individuals more religious in some countries than others? What is the future of religion?This book provides a non-technical introduction to how the economic approach answers these and other questions about religion. It defines the economic approach to religion and demonstrates how it is used to study a variety of religious decisions. It explains how religious groups confront credibility, free-rider, and coordination problems that challenge the collective production of religious goods and services. It also examines competition and regulation in religious markets around the world, how religious beliefs and preferences are transmitted and sustained, how religion likely emerged in humankind's distant past, and what the future of religion may hold. The book thus demonstrates how the tools and methods of economics provide fresh insight into a variety of religious behaviors.This book is intended for a wide audience in and out of economics. Though not a textbook per se, its discussion questions and suggested readings at the end of each chapter allow for easy incorporation into the classroom. The mathematics and statistics used by researchers are generally avoided. Both theory and evidence are presented, but the focus is on the ideas that provide a coherent conceptual framework that grounds a deeper exploration of the theoretical and empirical research in the economics of religion.
Download or read book Economics of Religion written by Lionel Obadia and published by Emerald Group Publishing. This book was released on 2011-10-25 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explores the fresh paradigms of 'religious economics' and 'economies of religion' under the scope of transdisciplinary and international perspectives. This title examines and appraises some of the theoretical developments and methodological innovations in religious and social sciences.
Download or read book Advances in the Economics of Religion written by Jean-Paul Carvalho and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-06-29 with total page 485 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited collection brings together expertise from around the globe to overview and debate key concepts and concerns in the economics of religion. While the economics of religion is a relatively new field of research in economics, economists have made and continue to make important contributions to the understanding of religion. There is much scope for economists to continue to make a significant contribution to debates about religion, including its implications for conflict, political economy, public goods, demography, education, finance, trade and economic growth.
Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of the Economics of Religion written by Rachel M. McCleary and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2011-01-27 with total page 415 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a one-of-kind volume bringing together leading scholars in the economics of religion for the first time. The treatment of topics is interdisciplinary, comparative, as well as global in nature. Scholars apply the economics of religion approach to contemporary issues such as immigrants in the United States and ask historical questions such as why did Judaism as a religion promote investment in education? The economics of religion applies economic concepts (for example, supply and demand) and models of the market to the study of religion. Advocates of the economics of religion approach look at ways in which the religion market influences individual choices as well as institutional development. For example, economists would argue that when a large denomination declines, the religion is not supplying the right kind of religious good that appeals to the faithful. Like firms, religions compete and supply goods. The economics of religion approach using rational choice theory, assumes that all human beings, regardless of their cultural context, their socio-economic situation, act rationally to further his/her ends. The wide-ranging topics show the depth and breadth of the approach to the study of religion.
Download or read book Marketplace of the Gods written by Larry Witham and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-05-05 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two centuries after Adam Smith illuminated the workings of the marketplace, a new movement among economists and social scientists is expanding his insights into a groundbreaking "economics of religion." Using cutting edge ideas from the behavioral sciences, and a deep knowledge of religious history, this new approach is making sense not only of past beliefs, but of religion today. In Marketplace of the Gods, award-winning journalist Larry Witham tells the inside story of this expanding "economic approach" to religion, the puzzles it tries to solve, the controversies it has stirred, and the people who are making it happen. He shows that the economic approach, while evoking images of stock markets or accounting ledgers, actually begins with a simple idea about human beings as rational actors, judging costs and benefits in life. Every life has limits, so human experience is a series of trade-offs, balancing resources to make choices for the best possible benefits. As the economics of religion shows, this model can be applied to the rich story of the human race and its gods. Beginning with the individual, the choices in religion shape households, groups, movements, and entire "religious economies" of nations. On the one hand, this mixing of the profane and the sacred, the economic and the religious, is an exciting exchange of ideas between economics, sociology, psychology, history, and theology. On the other, it has spurred a lively protest. Indeed, for some, the economic approach seems to transform our good angels into grubby consumers. As Witham shows, however, the economic approach to religion has insights for everyone, believers and skeptics alike. He illuminates this approach in a volume rich with ideas, history, contemporary events, and the insights of some of our sharpest modern-day thinkers.
Download or read book The Wiley Blackwell Companion to the Study of Religion written by Robert A. Segal and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2021-04-12 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explore a rigorous but accessible guide to contemporary approaches to the study of religion from leading voices in the field The Wiley Blackwell Companion to the Study of Religion delivers an expert and insightful analysis of modern perspectives on the study of religion across the humanities and the social sciences. Presupposing no knowledge of the approaches examined in the collection, the book is ideal for undergraduate students who have yet to undertake extensive study in the humanities or social sciences. The book includes perspectives from those in fields as diverse as globalization, cognitive science, the study of emotion, law, esotericism, sex and gender, functionalism, terror, the comparative method, modernism, and postmodernism. Many of the topics covered in the book clearly hail from religious studies, while others are grounded in other areas of academia. All of the chapters contained within are written by recognized authors who show how their chosen discipline contributes to the understanding of the phenomenon of religion. This book also includes topics like: A comprehensive exploration of multiple approaches to religious study, including anthropology, economics, literature, phenomenology, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and theology A review of various topics germane to the study of religion, including the study of the body, cognitive science, the comparative method, death and the afterlife, law, magic, music, and myth A selection of subjects touching on modern trends in extremism and violence, including chapters on terror and violence, fundamentalism, and nationalism A discussion of the influence of modernism and postmodernism in religion Ideal for undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students in humanities and social science programs taking courses on religion and myth, The Wiley Blackwell Companion to the Study of Religion will also earn a place in the libraries of specialists working in the fields of Religious Studies, Theology, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, Political Science, History, and Philosophy.
Download or read book Typologies of Religious Market Model written by Yoon Tae Kim and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 512 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Economic Theory and Christian Belief written by Andrew J. Britton and published by Peter Lang Limited, International Academic Publishers. This book was released on 2003 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Any attempt to use the Bible as a basis for addressing contemporary economic issues needs to recognise the fundamental differences in underlying philosophy between economic theory and Christian belief. Neo-classical economic theory embodies a view of the world and of human nature, derived from the Enlightenment of the eighteenth century, which has become immensely influential in recent times. 'Economic man' is a rational, independent being, set in an environment of scarcity, but able to improve his welfare by transactions in a market economy. This 'anthropology' is explained and examined systematically in this book, following broadly the pattern of an economics textbook, and drawing on some recent work in methodology. In each chapter, a second part presents a contrasting view of the same subject matter drawn from the Bible as interpreted by contemporary scholars. This gives a radically different account of human life and well-being, centred on the community and its relationship with God, in which prosperity, abundance and hope for the future are divine blessings and gifts. Despite the wide gaps between economic theory and Christian belief some points of contact can be made, and there are suggestions as to how a dialogue between them might be conducted.
Download or read book An Economic Approach to Religious Communes written by Metin Murat Coşgel and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Does Religion Really Matter For Economy Case of Turkey written by A. Ömer Toprak and published by Sentez Yayıncılık. This book was released on with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the scientific analysis of religion, the most important distinguishing feature of the economic approach compared to other disciplines is that it has not conflicted with religion, unlike other areas of social science. Especially with the rational choice theory, it is seen that religion and religiosity are the subject of scientific research as a phenomenon that affects the decisions and preferences of the rational individual. In this context, especially in many recent studies, the relationship between religion, religiosity and economic development has been discussed in both ways. Although the impact of religion and religiosity on economic development, or vice versa, the impact of economic development on religion and religiosity has been laid out mainly in researches reflecting the Christian world, this relationship has not been examined much in predominantly Muslim countries, including Turkey.This book examines this two-way effect based on data through a large volume of Turkey sample. In the first chapters, starting from the age of enlightenment, we talk about the adventure of the areas that are the subject of the debate between religion and social sciences, and in the following sections, the answer to many questions in the context of economic analysis of religion is revealed based on data. What is the relationship between individual indicators of development, basic demographics and religiosity? Who are more religious, highly educated or low-educated people? Is there a gender gap in terms of religiosity? Or is age an important variable for religiosity? What is the change in religiosity as the income level rises? What does the comparison of regions with different levels of economic development tell us in terms of religiosity? You will find answers to many such questions on Turkey population and the rest of the world comparatively in this book ...
Download or read book Economics And Religion Are They Distinct written by H. Geoffrey Brennan and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is the relation between economics and religion? In particular, are theology and economics entirely autonomous and distinct areas of inquiry? Economics and Religion: Are They Distinct? takes an inductive approach using case studies to shed light on the extent to which economics may be regarded as independent of the religious beliefs of its practitioners. The case studies comprise the first part of the book and are listed chronologically. These case studies are followed by commentaries, or interpretive essays; the authors of these commentaries are acting as a jury to consider the question `How sensitive is economics to theological considerations?' The editors provide a concluding chapter summarizing both the evidence and the findings.
Download or read book The Marketplace of Christianity written by Robert B. Ekelund, Jr. and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2008-09-26 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Economics can help us understand the evolution and development of religion, from the market penetration of the Reformation to an exploration of today's hot-button issues including evolution and gay marriage. This startlingly original (and sure to be controversial) account of the evolution of Christianity shows that the economics of religion has little to do with counting the money in the collection basket and much to do with understanding the background of today's religious and political divisions. Since religion is a set of organized beliefs, and a church is an organized body of worshippers, it's natural to use a science that seeks to explain the behavior of organizations—economics—to understand the development of organized religion. The Marketplace of Christianity applies the tools of economic theory to illuminate the emergence of Protestantism in the sixteenth century and to examine contemporary religion-influenced issues, including evolution and gay marriage. The Protestant Reformation, the authors argue, can be seen as a successful penetration of a religious market dominated by a monopoly firm—the Catholic Church. The Ninety-five Theses nailed to the church door in Wittenberg by Martin Luther raised the level of competition within Christianity to a breaking point. The Counter-Reformation, the Catholic reaction, continued the competitive process, which came to include "product differentiation" in the form of doctrinal and organizational innovation. Economic theory shows us how Christianity evolved to satisfy the changing demands of consumers—worshippers. The authors of The Marketplace of Christianity avoid value judgments about religion. They take preferences for religion as given and analyze its observable effects on society and the individual. They provide the reader with clear and nontechnical background information on economics and the economics of religion before focusing on the Reformation and its aftermath. Their analysis of contemporary hot-button issues—science vs. religion, liberal vs. conservative, clerical celibacy, women and gay clergy, gay marriage—offers a vivid illustration of the potential of economic analysis to contribute to our understanding of religion.
Download or read book Economics in Christian Perspective written by Victor V. Claar and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2015-04-21 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Victor Claar and Robin Klay introduce students to the basic principles of economics and then evaluate the principles and issues as seen from a Christian perspective. This textbook places the economic life in the context of Christian discipleship and stewardship. This text is for use in any course needing a survey of the principles of economics.
Download or read book Faithonomics written by Torkel Brekke and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2016-10-15 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Faithonomics uses economic theory to provide a new and unorthodox view of religion in today's world. Drawing on state-of-the-art research and on case studies from around the globe, this book shows that religion should be analysed as a market similar to markets for other goods and services, like bottled water or haircuts. Faithonomics is about today's religious markets, but in sweeping detours through the histories of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism, Brekke shows us the religious markets of the past, although these were sometimes heavily regulated by states. He argues that government 'control' over religious markets is often the cause of unforeseen and negative consequences. Many of today's problems related to religion, like religious terrorism or rent-seeking by religious political parties, are easier to understand if we think like economists. Religious markets work best when they are relatively free. Religious organizations should be free to sell their products without unnecessary restrictions, but we have no good reason to grant them privileges in the form of subsidies or tax-breaks.
Download or read book The Economic Order and Religion written by Frank H. Knight and published by . This book was released on 2015-09-15 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 2015 Reprint of 1945 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Knight wrote about religion and social ethics throughout his career. "The Economic Order and Religion" was a collaborative project with Thornton W. Merriam. The book was intended to bring the differences among Americans' approaches to economic ethics into high relief by presenting two contrasting viewpoints, and allowing the authors to comment on each other's perspective. Prior to collaborating with Merriam, Knight had begun work on a book on religion, economics and social ethics. When the collaborative project emerged in the early 1940s as a realistic opportunity, the material already written was re-worked into the chapter essay "Liberalism and Christianity" included in this monograph.
Download or read book Christianity and Market Regulation written by Daniel A. Crane and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2021-07-08 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Historically, the Christian tradition has played an influential role in Western economic thought concerning the regulation of markets, but, with the fracturing of the Christian tradition following the Reformation, the decline of Christian influence in academia, and the increasing specialization of economic analysis, that influence has become increasingly opaque. This volume brings together an interdisciplinary team of prominent academic experts on market regulation from four different continents and various faith traditions to reconsider the impact of Christianity on market regulation. Drawing on law, economics, history, theology, philosophy, and political theory, the authors consider both general questions of market regulation and particular regulatory fields such as bankruptcy, corporate law, and antitrust from a Christian perspective.
Download or read book The Wealth of Religions written by Rachel M. McCleary and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2019-05-21 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How religious beliefs and practices can influence the wealth of nations Which countries grow faster economically—those with strong beliefs in heaven and hell or those with weak beliefs in them? Does religious participation matter? Why do some countries experience secularization while others are religiously vibrant? In The Wealth of Religions, Rachel McCleary and Robert Barro draw on their long record of pioneering research to examine these and many other aspects of the economics of religion. Places with firm beliefs in heaven and hell measured relative to the time spent in religious activities tend to be more productive and experience faster growth. Going further, there are two directions of causation: religiosity influences economic performance and economic development affects religiosity. Dimensions of economic development—such as urbanization, education, health, and fertility—matter too, interacting differently with religiosity. State regulation and subsidization of religion also play a role. The Wealth of Religions addresses the effects of religious beliefs on character traits such as work ethic, thrift, and honesty; the Protestant Reformation and its long-term effects on education and religious competition; Communism’s suppression of and competition with religion; the effects of Islamic laws and regulations on the functioning of markets and, hence, on the long-term development of Muslim countries; why some countries have state religions; analogies between religious groups and terrorist organizations; the violent origins of the Dalai Lama’s brand of Tibetan Buddhism; and the use by the Catholic Church of saint-making as a way to compete against the rise of Protestant Evangelicals. Timely and incisive, The Wealth of Religions provides fresh insights into the vital interplay between religion, markets, and economic development.
