Max Weber is famous for linking religion to economic outcomes in his monumental book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.  Since that time we have seen social scientific interest in linking religion to economic growth wane and then be resurrected.  Charles North, associate professor of economics at Baylor University, discusses his own work exploring the nexus between faith and economics.

Our conversation begins with a general survey of the literature that sees religion as a potential causal factor in economic development.  Chuck presents the basic Weberian model and then fast forwards to the present where there has been a renewed interest in including religious variables (whether belief or practice) into econometric models for explaining growth.  He covers the likes of Robert Barro & Rachel McCleary, Joseph Daniels & Marc van der Ruhr, Sacha Becker & Ludger Woessman, and sociologists such as Rodney Stark.  Most of these scholars are interested in explaining GDP growth and we cover what GDP is and what it doesn’t necessarily measure.

Prof. North then turns to his research, which focuses on the rule of law and the related concept of corruption.  He reasons that since a number of economists have pointed out the strong relationship between the rule of law (or absence of corruption) and long-term economic growth, it might be worthwhile to investigate whether or not religious variables help to explain these two things.  He lays out his reasoning noting that rule of law helps to lower transaction costs and reduce uncertainty when it comes to investing, and that religious individuals (or the norms they follow) may have an impact in promoting and living by the rule of law (and, conversely, mitigating corruption).  We then go over the measurements he used, talking about the database provided by the World Christian Encyclopedia and how he worked with that.  Chuck’s research (with Wafa Orman and Carl Gwin) indicates that nations that had Protestant, Catholic, and Hindu majorities a century ago have higher levels of rule of law than nations with other major faith traditions (e.g., Islam, Eastern Orthodoxy).

Our conversation closes out with some of the more micro-foundational reasons for these research findings, as well as thinking about possible confounding factors.  Interestingly, this conversation leads us back to the medieval era and Chuck’s work on the development of canon law around the time of the 11th century.  Arguing that the Catholic Church needed to develop rules to protect its “stuff and junk” from various princes and kings, Europe benefited from the rise of a system of rule of law that lasted for centuries.  Recorded: April 1, 2014 (no fooling).

RELATED LINKS

 Prof. Charles North’s bio at Baylor University’s Department of Economics (Hankamer School of Business).

Good Intentions: Nine Hot-Button Issues Viewed through the Eyes of Faith, by Charles North and Bob Smietana.

“Religion, Corruption, and the Rule of Law,” by Charles M. North, Wafa Hakim Orman, and Carl Gwin in Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking.

The Victory of Reason, by Rodney Stark (mentioned in podcast).

The Long Divergence, by Timur Kuran (mentioned in podcast).

RELATED PODCASTS

 Rodney Stark on the Triumph of Christianity, Part II.

Timur Kuran on Islamic Law and Economic Development.

Timur Kuran on Islamic Economics.

Joseph Daniels on Religion and Trust.

Jared Rubin on Christian and Islamic Economic History.

Religious Liberty & Economic Development: A Panel Discussion.

Robert Woodberry on Missionaries and Democracy.

More podcasts on Religion & Economics.

What are the various cost constraints with being Jewish in America?  Prof. Carmel Chiswick, a research professor of economics at George Washington University, uses the lens of economics to reveal the various constraints facing a religious minority in the United States and how this affects Jewish culture.  We walk through her book Judaism in Transition: How Economic Choices Shape Religious Tradition.

We start the conversation with a general overview of Jews in America, including the size of the population, their immigration history, and other demographic features.  It is pointed out that Jews are both an ethnic group, and a group with a distinct religion.  We chat a bit about how Jewish (in terms of religion) Jews are in America.  Prof. Chiswick then discusses the difference between Great Tradition and small tradition Judaism.  The former focuses on the essential religious components of Judaism, including the Torah,  Talmud, Mishnah and several key holy days.  Small tradition Judaism, on the other hand, is a reflection of different cultural practices and emphases that can vary across different groups of Jews (e.g., Spehardi or Ashkenazi) and across time.  This is mixed with some personal reflection on her own life growing up Jewish, which gives this academic topic a much more personal touch.  Carmel explains why she chose to write her book with these personal stories, noting that she uses economics everyday to understand her own daily choices.

We then begin a discussion of how economics is used to explain Jewish behavior and traditions.  Carmel gives us a good introduction of how actions not only have a financial cost but a time cost as well, resulting in what economists call the “full price” (or “real cost”).  She points out that there are a variety of constraints on Jews in America that affect how they make decisions about worship and other aspects of life.  For example, as an individual becomes wealthier, the cost of their time also increases and this has an impact on how synagogue worship has been conducted given that Jews have been an upwardly mobile community.  We also talk about the issue of human capital and education and the constrained choices that have to be made here.  Carmel reflects upon her family’s decision whether to send their children to Hebrew or public school, as well as the reliance upon summer camps and other activities that are designed to preserve Jewish religious culture in an environment where time becomes more valuable for professional parents.

Carmel next lays out some of the contemporary challenges facing Jews in America.  Most notable among these challenges are the new demographic categories that are emerging, principally “young adult singles” and “empty nesters.”  With marriage ages increasing quite substantially over the past few decades, there is a growing population of individuals in their 20s and early 30s who are not married, do not have children, and who do not feel as connected to the synagogue.  Whereas people often connect with religious institutions when they have children, and synagogues often cater to the needs of this group, the decade or so wherein individuals are not married or having children becomes a time when they can drift away from their faith.  We also discuss the issue of intermarriage and how that might affect the Jewish population in the future.  Interestingly, the rise of “young adult singles” also gives rise to another demographic group known as “empty nesters” who are not actively raising kids yet are not grandparents either.  Once again, this becomes a life cycle point where people do not feel as connected to the synagogue.  (Note: These issues arise again in next week’s podcast with Daniel Libenson, who discusses some attempts to deal with this new environment.)

We finish off with some of Carmel’s personal observations on what she has learned in her years studying the economics of religion, being Jewish in America, and writing her highly readable book.  Recorded: April 7, 2015.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. Carmel Chiswick’s bio at the George Washington University.

Judaism in Transition: How Economic Choices Shape Religious Tradition, by Carmel U. Chiswick.

Association for the Study of Religion, Economics, and Culture (ASREC).

RELATED PODCASTS

Carmel Chiswick on the Economics of American Judaism.

Daniel Libenson on the Jewish Future.

Linda Weiser Friedman on Jewish Humor.

Colleen Haight on Jewish Peddlers in 19th Century America.

Larry Iannaccone on Sacrifice, Stigma, and the Economics of Religion.

Jeff Levin on Judaism and Health.

Mark Glickman on the Cairo Genizah.

Mark Koyama on the Economics of Jewish Expulsions.

Ken Wald on the Puzzling Politics of American Jews.

Ellie Estrin on the Traditions of Chanukah.

Rajdeep Singh on American Sikhs and Religious Liberty.

When it comes to wielding economic power in society, and getting the best interest rates on loans, most people would expect that the wealthy and politically connected would be in a better position than others.  While generally true, Prof. Jared Rubin – an associate professor of economics at Chapman University and associate director of the Institute for Religion, Economics, and Society – points to a very interesting period in Islamic history where this didn’t necessarily hold true.  In fact, it was during the late Ottoman Empire that those in socially-disadvantaged positions were able to secure lower interest rates on loans than the rich and powerful.  The groups paying lower rates on credit included women, the poor, and non-Muslims.

As Jared has been a guest on the show before, we open with a bit of banter about what he has been up to, which includes writing a new book and wrangling over the title of that book.  Our conversation then jumps to a recent project with another RoR guest, Timur Kuran.  Here, these two scholars take a look at how interest rates were set in the late Ottoman Empire (circa 17th and 18th centuries).  Jared spends some time filling us in on what this period in Ottoman history looked like, with a survey of the legal, banking, and commercial system that was in place and how religiously diverse Istanbul and other parts of the empire was.  This discussion also covers how women were able to accumulate wealth during this period of time, an important observation as females were part of the credit market in the Ottoman Empire.  Jared explains the importance of interest in credit markets and how Islamic rules on usury operated.

The next step in our discussion covers how individuals with legal and financial power can often gain favorable access to credit, a result that is not surprising to most folks.  However, we quickly learn that during the period under examination by Profs. Rubin and Kuran, the well-connected often paid higher interest rates than those in a less favorable social position.  Jared points out that titled elites (i.e, the politically well-connected), Muslims, and men paid a premium on their loans relative to those not politically connected, females, and non-Muslims.  He explains how Timur Kuran discovered this empirical oddity while conducting extensive archival research, and how both of them thought it was merely a problem with a small sample size or poor data recording at first.  However, the more they examined the situation, the more it revealed a fascinating puzzle.  Jared explains that because the politically well-connected and Muslims would oftentimes get favorable decisions from the court system when they defaulted, lenders would build in a small premium to manage this increased risk.  Non-elites and non-Muslims (e.g., Christians and Jews) were less likely to receive favorable judgments in default hearings and thus were incentivized to be more careful in paying back their loans.  He also notes that males had an easier time fleeing when it came time to pay back their loans, whereas women had fewer exit opportunities and were thus a lower lending risk.  Our discussion explores the magnitude of these differences as well as the varying types of legitimate and illegitimate default.

The latter portion of our podcast explores why a similar pattern did not arise in Christian Europe as well as some modern extensions of this theory that take us to the land of Brazil and how this affects the ability of the poor to get apartments when renters’ rights are so strong.  While Kuran and Rubin’s work on the Ottoman Empire seems to be a historical oddity, Jared notes that their findings fit nicely into our knowledge about credit risk today and could be useful in explaining financial results in other parts of the world or during other periods of time.  We discuss some of the more surprising things he learned from this study including how going into empirical data with an open mind can often times prompt interesting theoretical questions, and how history is a good teacher.  Recorded: February 17, 2016.

Note: Due to some phone issues, portions of the podcast had to be edited.  We attempted to do this as seamlessly as possible.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. Jared Rubin’s personal website and biography at Chapman University.

Rulers, Religion, and Riches: Why the West Got Rich and the Middle East Did Not, by Jared Rubin.

“The Financial Power of the Powerless: Socio-Economic Status and Interest Rates under Weak Rule of Law,” by Timur Kuran and Jared Rubin.

The Institute for Religion, Economics, and Society (IRES) at link to the graduate workshop.

The Association for the Study of Religion, Economics, and Culture (ASREC).

RELATED PODCASTS

Jared Rubin on Christian and Islamic Economic History.

Timur Kuran on Islamic Law and Economic Development.

Timur Kuran on Islamic Economics.

Murat Iyigun on Monotheism, Conflict, Europe, and the Ottomans (and the Blues).

Clark Lombardi on Sharia Law.

Nile Green on Islam in Bombay and Beyond.

Eileen Kane on the Russian Hajj.

Larry Iannaccone on Sacrifice, Stigma, and the Economics of Religion.

Colleen Haight on Jewish Peddlers in 19th Century America.

Ani Sarkissian on Politics & Religious Civil Society in Turkey.

]]> http://www.researchonreligion.org/historical-topics/jared-rubin-on-religion-credit-risk-in-the-ottoman-empire-encore-presentation/feed 0 http://www.researchonreligion.org/historical-topics/robert-nelson-on-lutheranism-and-nordic-social-democracy http://www.researchonreligion.org/historical-topics/robert-nelson-on-lutheranism-and-nordic-social-democracy#comments Sun, 08 Oct 2017 08:00:20 +0000 http://www.researchonreligion.org/?p=5233 The Nordic nations of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden have long been known for maintaining quality governance, high levels of socio-economic equality, and high levels of happiness amongst the population.  While political economists have been pressed to explain the success of these countries, Prof. Robert Nelson, a professor of public policy at the University of Maryland, suggests that it may have something to do with its “Lutheran Ethic.”  We begin this discussion with a retrospective of Prof. Nelson’s career, which had him completing a PhD in economics and focusing on land use issues for several decades.  The curious question for listeners becomes how he began writing on issues related to religion, to which he gives a very interesting and introspective reply, including a bit of discussion of his own thinking on whether a god exists.  We then move into his definition of religion, which tends to be broader than used by other scholars.  The conversation turns to a discussion of the “Protestant Ethic” as famously noted by Max Weber, and Bob’s corrective which points out that Weber was really talking about a Calvinistic ethic, which was different than the theological culture that Luther himself gave rise to within Lutheranism.  We talk about who Luther was, what he considered to be important virtues, and how he viewed “free market capitalism” (to the extent that something like that was explicitly known in Europe at the time).  Prof. Nelson notes that Luther was hostile towards the idea of “self-interest,” had a strong sense of community (more so than, say, the Calvinists), emphasized the virtue of “calling” and the need to serve community, and was big on the Golden Rule.  He provides some insight into how this translates into Finnish culture about “general rights,” a notion of property that is different than what is thought about in the United States.  Bob covers a few other differences that Lutheranism  has with respect to Calvinism, including that Lutheranism was more “top down” in in application of community.  We also review Luther’s changing attitudes towards governmental authority, particularly in light of the “mob rule” of the Peasants’ Revolt.  The next topic up involves a survey of “social democracy,” and what that means in contemporary Scandinavia.  We briefly review the history of the Nordic social welfare states, how these nations jettisoned the class warfare mentality of early 20th century socialists, and how it is viewed culturally as “The People’s Home.”  Dr. Nelson notes that over time the notion of “economic progress” by way of social science came to replace many of the Lutheran ideas that were inculcated in those countries in centuries earlier, but how this new secular ideology has much in common with previous Lutheran theology.  We go through a number of key points within Lutheranism and compare them to contemporary social values and norms within Nordic society.  The interview concludes with some of Bob’s thoughts on where Nordic social democracy is today, and why it may be headed into crisis.  Recorded: October 2, 2017.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. Robert Nelson’s bio at the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland.

Lutheranism and the Nordic Spirit of Social Democracy, by Robert Nelson.  (Also available with e-book version at Aarhus University Press.)

God? Very Probably: Five Rational Ways of Thinking about the Question of a God, by Robert Nelson.

The New Holy Wars: Economic Religion versus Environmental Religion in Contemporary America, by Robert Nelson.

Economics as Religion: From Samuelson to Chicago and Beyond, by Robert Nelson.

Reaching for Heaven on Earth: The Theological Meaning of Economics, by Robert Nelson.

Private Neighborhoods and the Transformation of Local Government, by Robert Nelson.

Public Lands and Private Rights: The Failure of Scientific Management, by Robert Nelson and Sally Fairfax.

Mind and Cosmos, by Thomas Nagel (menti0ned in podcast).

RELATED PODCASTS

The Protestant Reformation Series (including other podcasts from Goldman, Pfaff, Sorenson, Gray, and Stark).

Robert Nelson on Environmentalism as Religion.

]]> http://www.researchonreligion.org/historical-topics/robert-nelson-on-lutheranism-and-nordic-social-democracy/feed 0 http://www.researchonreligion.org/church-organization/james-hudnut-beumler-on-the-history-of-church-financing-in-the-us http://www.researchonreligion.org/church-organization/james-hudnut-beumler-on-the-history-of-church-financing-in-the-us#comments Sun, 01 Oct 2017 08:00:39 +0000 http://www.researchonreligion.org/?p=5224 While congregations may pray for manna from heaven, financing a religious institution often relies upon hard work, creativity, and direct appeals to parishioners to contribute to the provision of the clergy and the buildings.  Prof. James Hudnut-Beumler, the Anne Potter Wilson Distinguished Professor of Religious History at Vanderbilt University, discusses his historical studies of how American Protestant churches changed their funding models over the past two and a half centuries.  We begin with a personal story of how Dr. Hudnut-Beumler came to be interested in the economics behind church funding, and he regales us with a story of his chance meeting with Ben Bernake (yet to become chairman of the Federal Reserve).  Upon finding out that Jim studied religion, Bernake told him how economics predicts that women would be more religiously active then men.  We talk a bit more about the appropriateness of using economics to understand the world of religion, and Jim notes that one of the most important concepts that economics contributes to a humanities-based approach is the notion of value.  Indeed, the becomes important later in our interview when we ask Prof. Hudnut-Beumler about his own personal reflections on his research and how it helped him in his religious vocation as a Presbyterian minister.  We then work our way through a history of American Protestantism and how funding models have changed over time.

Jim notes that there are three common tensions or ironies that run throughout this history including: clergy who raise money “for God” understand that they are really paying for their own salary; the spiritualization of appeals for financing; and the increasing voluntary nature of church tithing.  Jim points out that roughly two-thirds of the cost of running a congregation goes to personnel in the form of salaries and other compensation.  During America’s colonial history, much of the needed funding was collected via taxes collected by local governments.  This began to change during the First Great Awakening as itinerant ministers and upstart churches would compete with the state-funded churches for members and funds.  By the end of the 18th century and into the early 19th century, congregations lost support of state funding and needed to make new appeals to members to voluntarily contribute to churches.  We talk a bit about the “pew rent” model and learn, as a fun fact, that the raised boxes of seating in many churches were to house heated bricks to keep the wealthier congregants warmer in the winter.  Not only was it valuable to sit up front near the preacher, but that was also where the heating was!  Another development in the first half of the 1800s was the rise of the “Benevolence Empire,” wherein colporteurs and other charity entrepreneurs would raise funds for specific causes.  Realizing that this was competing with a fixed set of dollars that congregants were giving to religious causes, church congregations also got into this business leading to a dramatic increase in the amount of charitable funding during this era.  Another fascinating development, and one which surprised Prof. Hudnut-Beumler, was the emphasis placed on constructing and remodeling church buildings.  Whereas we are often treated with iconic photos of churches that exist “as they were in colonial days,” the truth of the matter is that church buildings were constantly undergoing change as individual congregants saw building or remodeling a church as a way to demonstrate devotion to God and to take pride in one’s own congregation.

The next phase of church financing occurred after the Civil War and up to World War I.  Here Jim emphasizes a rediscovery of tithing and stewardship, noting how religious rhetoric tended to spiritualize the notion of giving, making it appear as one’s duty to God as compared to the mere need to support the pastor and keep the building looking tidy.  Also during this era, clergy began to see themselves as professionals, much the way one would envision a business manager or banker.  A number of congregations responded to this by altering how they compensated their clergy, and Jim provides examples of the Presbyterians who insisted upon supporting their ministers and missionaries on a salary that was equivalent to that of a local school superintendent.  United Lutherans developed another model of investing in pensions for their clergy so they knew they would be taken care of after their retirement.  We then talk about the developments that occur in the latter half of the 20th century and how growing suburbanization led to increased demands for a “seven day church” that was used for athletic and other social activities.  Church sizes began to increase as did the spread of non-denominational churches.  We then talk about how automated teller machines (ATMs) and the rise of “plastic money” has changed the giving model, with many churches turning to weekly debits from bank accounts as a way to smooth out the annual giving cycle.  Jim tells us about how his father, a minister, would be somewhat concerned about family expenses going into the summer as that was the time when contributions were at their lowest.  (Tony notes that another guest on the podcast brought up this same issue, Pastor Larry Osborne, who Tony mistakenly refers to as Robert Osborne.  Oops.)  We conclude our discussion some of Rev. Hudnut-Beumler’s own personal reflections about what he has learned in his studies and how it has affected his ministry.  He emphasized the importance of speaking plainly and transparently to congregants about the need for funding.  Recorded: September 29, 2017.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. James Hudnut-Beumler’s bio at Vanderbilt University’s Divinity School.

In Pursuit of the Almighty’s Dollar: A History of Money and American Protestantism, by James Hudnut-Beumler.

“Why Cash Remains Sacred in American Churches,” by James Hudnut-Beumler (on RealClearReligion).

Looking for God in the Suburbs: The Religion of the American Dream and Its Critics, 1945-1965, by James Hudnut-Beumler.

Generous Saints: Congregations Rethinking Money and Ethics, by James Hudnut-Beumler.

The History of the Riverside Church in the City of New York, by Peter Paris, et al. (including James Hudnut-Beumler).

The Fabric of Faithfulness: Weaving Together Belief and Behavior, by Steven Garber (mentioned in the podcast).

RELATED PODCASTS

Larry Osborne on Church Finances and Growth.

John Fea on the American Bible Society.

Michael McConnell on Church Property Disputes.

Phillip Sinitierre on the Osteens and Lakewood Church.

Richard Hammar on Churches, Taxes, Donations, and Liability.

Mike McBride on the Economics of Church Leadership.

Thom Rainer on Baptist Conventions and Church Health.

Jordan Lorence on Religious Property Cases.

]]> http://www.researchonreligion.org/church-organization/james-hudnut-beumler-on-the-history-of-church-financing-in-the-us/feed 5 http://www.researchonreligion.org/religion-politics/anthony-gill-on-the-political-origins-of-religious-liberty-encore-presentation http://www.researchonreligion.org/religion-politics/anthony-gill-on-the-political-origins-of-religious-liberty-encore-presentation#comments Mon, 25 Sep 2017 14:45:26 +0000 http://www.researchonreligion.org/?p=5210 Due to a series of technical difficulties with our studio line, we are rebroadcasting an interview that friend and colleague Steven Pfaff (UW Sociology) did with me nearly 5 years ago.  Given that I am teaching a course on religion and politics this term, I am floating this one up to the top of the feed as an encore presentation for the students and for you.  Please enjoy, and once we get the phone lines reconnected we will bring you some crescent fresh episodes.

Religious liberty has not been the normal state of affairs in world history. Indeed, religious activity has been tightly controlled by rulers across space and time.  So why would political leaders ever choose to “deregulate a religion market”? This week, Anthony Gill (University of Washington, political science), the host of Research on Religion (Facebook page and Twitter), becomes the guest as Prof. Steven Pfaff (University of Washington, sociology) takes the reins of inquisitor and peppers Tony with questions about his book The Political Origins of Religious Liberty.  We begin our conversation with a definition of religious liberty.  Tony points out that it is important to think about religious liberty in terms of costs and benefits.  Any government policy that imposes a greater cost on an individual or group’s ability to worship needs to be viewed as a decrease in freedom, whereas anything reducing such costs enhances liberty.  We then talk about previous theories of why religious liberty has arisen in the modern world, noting that most scholars rely upon ideational reasons for its appearance — namely that policymakers were convinced by philosophers that religious freedom was a good idea in-and-of-itself.  But Tony notes that even through religious liberty might be a good idea per se, it is not an idea that is always shared by everyone in the policymaking arena. Numerous policy ideas exist at any given moment and it is important to consider the political and economic interests of rule-makers when accounting for the appearance of tolerance and freedom in places like The Netherlands, Great Britain, and the United States.  Secular leaders are most interested in their political survival, generating tax revenue, and growing the economy.  These interests will be taken into consideration when deciding whether or not to allow greater religious freedoms.  We also note that religious leaders are not neutral in this process.  the clergy of dominant religions will generally favor restrictions on religious minorities, whereas religious minorities will advocate for greater religious freedoms.  The gradual development of religious pluralism changes the political landscape in a way that favors the emergence of tolerance and liberty in the long-run (though there is likely to be conflict in the short-run).  Our discussion relies upon examples from colonial British America, but Steve Pfaff adds to the conversation other illustrations from Russia, Germany, the Netherlands, and even Spain.  We close with Steve challenging Tony on some different configurations of religious liberty and whether or not a government that seeks to be “neutral” is privileging secularism over all other confessions.  Tony chimes in on this topic as well.  Recorded: December 18, 2012.

RELATED LINKS

Anthony Gill’s bio at the University of Washington Political Science Dept and Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion.

Steve Pfaff’s bio at the University of Washington’s Department of Sociology.

The Political Origins of Religious Liberty, by Anthony Gill.

Rendering unto Caesar: The Catholic Church and the State in Latin America, by Anthony Gill.

Exit-voice Dynamics & the Collapse of East Germany, by Steven Pfaff.

The Spiritual Virtuoso: Personal Faith and Social Transformation, by Marion Goldman and Steven Pfaff.

 RELATED PODCASTS

An extensive list of our podcasts on religious liberty.

Anthony Gill on Religion (an EconTalk podcast).

Steven Pfaff on the World of 1517 (Protestant Reformation Series).

Steven Pfaff on Denominationalism, Sin, and Other Stuff.

Larry Iannaccone on Sacrifice, Stigma, and the Economics of Religion.

]]> http://www.researchonreligion.org/religion-politics/anthony-gill-on-the-political-origins-of-religious-liberty-encore-presentation/feed 0 http://www.researchonreligion.org/christianity/anne-rathbone-bradley-on-christianity-and-capitalism http://www.researchonreligion.org/christianity/anne-rathbone-bradley-on-christianity-and-capitalism#comments Sun, 10 Sep 2017 08:00:16 +0000 http://www.researchonreligion.org/?p=5174 Does capitalism get a bad rap?  Was Jesus and his followers socialists?  These questions and more frame our discussion this week as we invite Dr. Anne Rathbone Bradley onto the show to discuss her latest co-edited volume Counting the Cost: Christian Perspectives on Capitalism.   Dr. Bradley is the Vice President of Economic Initiatives at the Institute for Faith, Work, & Economics.  We begin with an overview of this relatively new institute and what it does, and then turn to the question of what motivated an edited volume on Christianity and capitalism.  This leads us to a discussion of how capitalism often gets a bad image, often viewed as synonymous with greed, materialism, and the rich taking from the poor.  Anne provides a different working definition of capitalism that rests upon who makes decisions about how the means of production are used (which is a wide swathe of people), and a system of exchange through the mechanisms of profit and loss.  We then take a look at the chapter written by Joy Buchanan and Nobel Laureate Vernon Smith about who benefits from capitalism and review the progress humanity has made over the past 200 years as markets have become historically more free.  Anne points out that commoners can enjoy such luxuries today that would have only been reserved for a small hereditary class in the past.  We move to Jonathan Pennington’s chapter on the topic of human flourishing in both the Old and New Testaments, noting that enjoying life (and the gifts of God) is an important goal here on Earth.  This is contrasted to “Kantian altruism,” that tends to wallow in asceticism that often subverts enjoyment of material things.  We further talk about how free markets allow us to trade with strangers and the role that trust plays in society, springboarding ourselves into the chapter written the late Michael Novak on how democratic capitalism also  helps to raise human dignity.  Art Lindsley’s chapter falls next on the docket.  He argues that while the New Testament does not specifically call for a capitalist system, neither does it endorse the socialist alternative.  The “sharing economy” described in Acts 2-5 is put into context, and Anne introduces the importance of the concept of “ownership of self.”  The last portion of our interview is spent discussion one of Dr. Bradley’s specialties — inequality (of both income and wealth).  We talk about “good” and “bad” inequality, how inequality is measured, and how God has gifted individuals with different talents  that manifest themselves in different returns.  Tony notes that this does not undermine the inherent dignity of a person, comparing Bill Gates and his bartenders equally.  At this point, Anne relays a personal story about the survival of her daughter immediately after a premature birth and how much she not only benefited from a feeding tube patent introduced by Henry Turkel in the early 1950s, but all the other people that brought the all the technology together that saved a precious life.  We also bring up Jesus’s Parable of the Talents that this point.  Anne offers some thoughts about what Christians can and should do about inequality, specifically denouncing “cronyism” — the use of government coercion to direct social resources towards one’s personal gain.  The interview ends with some of Dr. Bradley’s thoughts on what she has learned over the course of a couple decades studying economics while being a practicing question.  She has enjoyed how her spiritual faith has always put her “economic way of thinking” to the test.  Recorded: August 18, 2018.

RELATED LINKS

Anne Rathbone’s bio at the Institute for Faith, Work, & Economics.

Counting the Cost: Christian Perspectives on Capitalism, edited by Art Lindsley and Anne R. Bradley.

For the Least of These: A Biblical Answer to Poverty, edited by Anne R. Bradley and Art Lindsley.

RELATED PODCASTS

Art Carden on Christian Ethics and Economics.

Robert Sirico on Markets, Morality, Faith, and Freedom.

Bob Subrick on Religion and Adam Smith, F.A. Hayek, and Vernon Smith.

Is Religious Freedom Good for Growth? A Panel Discussion.

Samuel Gregg on Pope Francis, Argentina, and Economics.

Maureen Fitzgerald on Irish Nuns and Welfare.

Martin Barrett on Sozo Friends and For-Profit Charity.

John Rees on International Development and Faith-Based Organizations.

Brian Grim on Religious Liberty and Business.

]]> http://www.researchonreligion.org/christianity/anne-rathbone-bradley-on-christianity-and-capitalism/feed 1 http://www.researchonreligion.org/protestantism/steven-pfaff-on-the-world-of-1517 http://www.researchonreligion.org/protestantism/steven-pfaff-on-the-world-of-1517#comments Sun, 04 Jun 2017 08:00:26 +0000 http://www.researchonreligion.org/?p=5054 Martin Luther’s theological challenge to the Catholic Church that began with an inauspicious posting of 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral set off a major schismatic movement within Christianity that still reverberates to this day.  And yet, there were many “reformers” who had come before Luther that didn’t have the same impact as he did in the early decades of the 16th century.  Dr. Steven Pfaff, professor of sociology at the University of Washington, joins us for the second installment in our Protestant Reformation Series to review what European society looked like in the century leading up to the events of 1517.  Prof. Pfaff discusses the state-of-the-art social science research on the economic, political, and social changes that were washing over the continent in the late medieval period.  We begin first with the political and economic trends of the 15th century.  Europe remained largely an agrarian society, but new advances in mining and incipient manufacturing were giving rise to new independent cities and the rise of a new middle class based upon the success of craft guilds and expanding trade routes.  Princes were becoming more powerful in certain areas, more universities were being created, and literacy was beginning to spread.  While all of these changes look small by today’s standards, they were reshaping the landscape upon which religious change would play out.  Prof. Pfaff details a number of developments within the institutional Catholic Church that, to many, looked venal.  We cover the expanding trade and monetization of indulgences, the commercialization of pilgrimages, the expanding veneration of saints, and the practice of simony (i.e., the sale of religious offices).  Both Steve and Tony note that many of these institutional innovations were part and parcel of the need for a large hierarchical organization to fund and hold itself together in a Europe that was increasingly fragmented during the early and middle medieval period.  Social Scientists must be careful in looking back at history with 21st century norms and values, and instead place oneself within the often difficult situations faced by clergy and bishops in centuries gone by.  Prof. Pfaff then examines how this variety of social change allowed a particular moment to become a movement.  He reminds us that structural conditions alone do not a revolution make, and that many statistical analyses of such factors overlook the relational nature (e.g., interpersonal networks) of social movements.  Luther had at his disposal not only the printing press, but a cadre of dedicated students who were motivated to press for reform and schism.  Steve also shares his interesting and updated findings about how the Hanseatic League — a dense network of trading partners in central and western Europe — helped to provide a conduit for Reform ideas.  Finally, Prof. Pfaff shares what he thinks is the biggest lesson from this historical era, one that still resonates strongly today.  Recorded: May 10, 2017.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. Steven Pfaff’s bio at the Dept. of Sociology, University of Washington.

The Spiritual Virtuoso: Personal Faith and Social Transformation, by Marion Goldman and Steven Pfaff (pre-orders available).

Exit-Voice Dynamics and the Collapse of East Germany: The Crisis of Leninism and the Revolution of 1989, by Steven Pfaff.

The Institute for the Study of Religion, Economics, and Society  (Chapman University) – graduate student workshop opportunities.

Sacred Trust: The Medieval Church as an Economic Firm, by Robert Ekelund, et al. (mentioned in podcast).

Brand Luther, by Andrew Pettegree (mentioned in podcast).

The 95 Theses, by Martin Luther (mentioned in podcast).

Sermon on Indulgences and Grace, by Martin Luther (mentioned in podcast).

RELATED PODCASTS

Marion Goldman on Martin Luther & Spiritual Virtuosity (Protestant Reformation Series)

Steven Pfaff on the Protestant Reformation (one of our very first recorded episodes!)

Steven Pfaff on Denominationalism, Sin, and Other Stuff.

Oliver Crisp on Calvin and Reformed Theology.

Rod Stark on the Triumph of Christianity, Part II.

Russell Kleckley on Religion, Science, and Kepler.

Gary Richardson on Religion & Craft Guilds in the Middle Ages.

]]> http://www.researchonreligion.org/protestantism/steven-pfaff-on-the-world-of-1517/feed 3 http://www.researchonreligion.org/religion-politics/is-religious-freedom-good-for-growth-a-panel-discussion http://www.researchonreligion.org/religion-politics/is-religious-freedom-good-for-growth-a-panel-discussion#comments Sun, 05 Feb 2017 09:00:40 +0000 http://www.researchonreligion.org/?p=4891 Can religious freedom promote economic growth in the long- and/or short-term?  This was the general question posed to a number of scholars on November 15, 2016 at a symposium entitled “Religious Freedom and the Common Good” hosted by the Religious Freedom Project at the Berkeley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs (Georgetown University).  Wow! That’s a mouthful!  Brian Grim (Religious Freedom & Business Foundation) moderates a conversation with Ilan Alon (University of Agder), Timur Kuran (Duke University), Rachel McCleary (Harvard University and Hoover Institution), and your own lovable host Anthony Gill (University of Washington).  The discussion that develops is broad-ranging, covering countries as far-flung as Guatemala and China, and eras from the Ottoman Empire to contemporary Russia.  Anthony Gill asserts that religious liberty is good for long-term economic growth, citing an example from the Netherlands in the 17th century, but also cautions that efforts to impose religious freedom from the top-down can cause conflict in the short-run, and that a strong culture of tolerance is needed for religious freedom and economic freedom to work conjointly.  Timur Kuran shares these views noting that many skilled entrepreneurs leave places such as Pakistan in the search for more spiritually free environments and this harms their growth potential (while benefiting those countries where migrants move t0).  At various points throughout the conversation he uses examples from the Ottoman Empire and contemporary Turkey to show how laws on religious behavior and towards religious minorities can have important economic impacts.  Rachel McCleary offers a competing view noting an important difference between “believing” and “belonging.”  Whereas certain religious beliefs may be conducive to economic growth, she notes that religious institutions either have no or a negative effect on economic growth and reducing political corruption.  She cites her extensive research in Guatemala to support this claim.  Ilan Alon sees both positive and negative effects on economic growth created by religious freedom and brings his experience in China and Norway to bear on this topic.  Brian Grim peppers the discussion with a number of his own observations how particular companies such as the Kellogg Corporation have promoted religious freedom at various points in time.  It is also noted that the Quakers were great at making chocolate and founded Cadbury.  Near the end of the panel discussion, Anthony Gill makes a controversial point that bourbon is better than scotch as the participants field a number of questions from audience members. Recorded: November 15, 2016.

RELATED LINKS

Video presentation of the panel at the Religious Freedom Project (Berkeley Center for Religion, Peace, & World Affairs).

Religious Freedom and the Common Good Symposium webpage.

Coming soon: Religious Freedom Institute.  (The same project, but now in institutional form!)

Brian Grim’s bio at the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation.

Ilan Alon’s bio at the University of Agder.

Timur Kuran’s bio at Duke University.

Rachel McCleary’s bio at the Hoover Institution.

Anthony Gill’s bio at the University of Washington.

Explanation of bourbon vs scotch and definitive proof of which one is better.

RELATED PODCASTS

Religious Liberty & Economic Prosperity: A Panel Discussion.

Proselytism, Social Stability, and Development: A Panel Discussion.

Religious Freedom & Political Flourishing: A Panel Discussion.

Proselytism, Humanitarianism, and Development: A Panel Discussion.

Brian Grim on Religious Freedom & Business.

Timur Kuran on Islamic Law and Economic Development.

Timur Kuran on Islamic Economics.

Rebecca Shah on Religion and the Enterprising Poor in India.

Allen Hertzke on Religious Liberty.

Carrie Miles on Religion, Gender, and Missionaries.

Timothy Shah on the Case for Religious Liberty.

]]> http://www.researchonreligion.org/religion-politics/is-religious-freedom-good-for-growth-a-panel-discussion/feed 2 http://www.researchonreligion.org/historical-topics/samuel-gregg-on-pope-francis-argentina-and-economics http://www.researchonreligion.org/historical-topics/samuel-gregg-on-pope-francis-argentina-and-economics#comments Sun, 08 Jan 2017 09:00:37 +0000 http://www.researchonreligion.org/?p=4840 During the first four years of Pope Francis’s tenure at the Vatican, the pontiff from Latin America released two social encyclicals that have touched upon various economic issues — Evangelli gaudium (2013) and Laudato si’ (2015).  To explain the background of Pope Francis’s statements, we are joined by Dr. Samuel Gregg, director of research at the Acton Institute, and author on various books on markets and morality.  Dr. Gregg begins by discussing what encyclicals are, what social encyclicals are in specific, and how some important ones issued by various pontiffs over the past century or so.  He notes that encyclicals are largely directed at the bishops, but are also read broadly by lay Catholics and others to take cues on how various socio-economic trends can be read through Catholic social teaching.  We go back to the first encyclical to address industrial capitalism — Rerum novarum (1891) and walk through some of the differences and continuities with Quadragesimo anno (1931), Lumen gentium (1964), Gaudium et spes (1965), Centesimus annus (1991), and the two aforementioned documents written by Pope Francis.  Sam notes that while many pundits will focus on some of the economic sections of these documents, Evagelli gaudium is primarily about reaching the peripheries of society with the Christian Gospel.   We then spend time discussing the economic history of Argentina as a means of understanding the socio-economic context that formed Jorge Bergoglio’s mindset.  The role of Juan Perón and Peronismo in affecting the economic trajectory of Argentina, one of the ten richest countries in 1900 but which fell significantly behind other developing nations over the course of the 20th century.  Perón promulgated a very “corporatist” set of policies, and Sam explains how Catholic thought influenced this ideology.  We also review the period of economic liberalization under Carlos Menem in the 1990s and the “great depression” that affected Argentina at the turn of the 21st century.  From this historical perspective, we look Bergoglio’s intellectual development with Dr. Gregg noting that the future Pope Francis wasn’t a theologian, had some skepticism of “high theologians,” and how he spent much of his career focusing on pastoral formation.  Nonetheless, when it comes to his views on economics, Bergoglio was influenced by various threads of Peronismo, which works its way into Bergoglio’s teleogía del pueblo (or “theology of the people”), which should not be conflated with liberation theology.  We then discuss some critiques of this view of economic life, including the difficulty in defining who “the people” are and how we determine what they really want.  Sam finishes off with some reflections on what he has learned over the decades of studying theology and economics.  Recorded: December 16, 2016.

RELATED LINKS

Dr. Samuel Gregg’s bio at the Acton Institute.

“Understanding Pope Francis: Argentina, Economic Failure, and the Telogía del Pueblo” by Samuel Gregg in The Independent Review.

Morality, Law, and Public Policy, by Samuel Gregg.

Economic Thinking for the Theologically Minded, by Samuel Gregg.

On Ordered Liberty, by Samuel Gregg.

The Commercial Society, by Samuel Gregg.

Wilhelm Röpke’s Political Economy, by Samuel Gregg.

Becoming Europe: Economic Decline, Culture, and How America Can Avoid a European Future, by Samuel Gregg.

Tea Party Catholic: The Catholic Case for Limited Government, a Free Economy and Human Flourishing, by Samuel Gregg.

“Laudato Si': Well Intentioned, Economically Flawed,” by Samuel Gregg.

RELATED PODCASTS

Robert Sirico on Markets, Morality, Faith, and Freedom.

Bob Subrick on Religion and Adam Smith, F.A. Hayek, and Vernon Smith.

Theodore Malloch on Spiritual Capital and Virtuous Business.

Art Carden on Christian Ethics, Charity, and Economics.

R.R. Reno on Pop(e) Francis.

Jeremy Lott on the Media’s Pope-O-Rama.

James Felak on Picking Pontiffs and Pope Francis.

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