Religionsökonomie: eine Übersicht

Abstract

For a long time, religion has been viewed as a topic outside the range of economics. In the last few decades however, economists increasingly started to extend their methods to non‐market‐based behavior, including religion. One main research area in the economics of religion concerns the economic consequences of religion both for the individual and for the society at large. The second field of research uses economic reasoning to explain religious behavior of individuals as well as the existence of religious groups. This article provides an overview on this literature and summarizes the main conclusions drawn so far.

Analysis of the Influence of the Protestant Religion on the Economic Growth of German Reich (1879–1910)

“…In general, religion may affect economy in two ways: ̶ by having (indirect) influence on a person's individual characteristics and mindset. Aggregation of these features at the level of society may affect economy, including economic growth; ̶ by having direct influence on social behavior and the fact that belonging to a certain religious denomination strengthens economic cooperation between members of the community (Höhener and Schaltegger 2012). Studies on the influence of religion on individual behavior and studies aimed at verification of Weber's thesis have led to various conclusions, among them: ̶ there is a negative correlation between personal income and religious affiliation (Lipford and Tollison 2003); ̶ there is a higher correlation between religious affiliation and personal income for Catholics and Jews than Protestants (Steen 2004); ̶ there is a positive correlation between the percentage of Protestants and the number of suicides; Protestantism has positive influence on the economic potential, which decreases with the increase of education (Prussia).…”

“…On the one hand, there have been efforts to study the influence of religion on economic growth and its dynamics from the macroeconomic perspective, as well as the impact of religion on its followers in terms of personal traits and attitudes that play a role in the forming of Homo economicus (Höhener and Schaltegger 2012). On the other hand, the religious variable is treated as a variable dependent on the level of the economic development (the level of secularisation).…”

The Human Capital Transition and the Role of Policy

“…On the other hand, authors such as Adam Smith suggest that a non-state-sponsored religious group has to provide special care for its believers, raising the quality of and participation rate in religious activities(Iannaccone et al 1997). For more information, seeHöhener and Schaltegger (2012).14 More generally, the authors see the values in formal education close to those of Protestantism, as highlighted byWeber (1958): "formal education's emphasis on individual socialization and achievement parallels the Protestant emphasis on the individual's unmediated relation to God and individual salvation"(Soysal and Strang 1989, p. 279).15 Numbers from France emphasize the stark increase in newspaper production: "[i]n 1840 the monthly issue of all the Paris journals totalled less than three million copies. By 1882 it was up to 44 million copies(Cipolla 1969, p.…”

The Human Capital Transition and the Role of Policy

“…On the other hand, authors such as Adam Smith suggest that a non-state-sponsored religious group has to provide special care for its believers, raising the quality of and participation rate in religious activities(Iannaccone, Finke and Stark 1997). For more information seeHöhener and Schaltegger (2012).…”