Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/96001 
Year of Publication: 
2009
Series/Report no.: 
Working Paper No. 2009-23
Publisher: 
Bar-Ilan University, Department of Economics, Ramat-Gan
Abstract: 
Using an international dataset of about 35,000 subjects, this paper provides an empirical example of high-stakes incentives in relation to religious practice. First, we show that incentives (based on absolute belief) play a salient role in religious performance. Second, we find that, when both positive (heaven) and negative (hell) incentives are available, the former are more effective than the latter. Specifically, it is shown that beliefs in heaven are much more relevant than beliefs in hell when estimating the production of religious commodities (church-attendance and praying equations).
Subjects: 
carrot/stick
high-stakes incentives
rewards
punishment
economics of religion
JEL: 
C91
D64
Z13
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
369.98 kB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.