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ifo Institut – Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung an der Universität München >
CESifo Working Papers, CESifo Group Munich >
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http://hdl.handle.net/10419/18877
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| Title: | | The invisible hand plays dice : eventualities in religious markets  |
| Authors: | | Poutvaara, Panu Wagener, Andreas |
| Issue Date: | | 2004 |
| Series/Report no.: | | CESifo working papers 1238 |
| Abstract: | | Religious participation is much more widespread in the United States than in Europe, while Europeans tend to view sects more suspiciously than Americans. We propose an explanation for these patterns without assuming differences in preferences or market fundamentals. Religious markets may have multiple equilibria, suggesting that observed differences in religious structures may merely be eventualities. Further, equilibria with more sects result in higher welfare and lower membership costs, as secular societies tend to host on average more demanding sects. Our main methodological contribution to the theory of religious markets is endogenizing simultaneously supply and demand of spiritual services. |
| Subjects: | | sects religion tithes religious markets |
| JEL: | | D71 J24 L89 Z12 |
| Document Type: | | Working Paper |
| Appears in Collections: | | CESifo Working Papers, CESifo Group Munich
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