Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/145052 
Year of Publication: 
2016
Series/Report no.: 
CESifo Working Paper No. 6017
Publisher: 
Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo), Munich
Abstract: 
There has been much study of the consequences of economic freedom but, outside of the role of political institutions, there has been little study of the determinants of economic freedom. We investigate whether religion affects economic freedom. Our cross-sectional dataset includes 137 countries averaged over the period 2001-2010. Simple correlations show that Protestantism is associated with economic freedom, Islam is not, with Catholicism in between. The Protestant ethic requires economic freedom. Our empirical estimates, which include religiosity, political institutions, and other explanatory variables, confirm that Protestantism is most conducive to economic freedom.
Subjects: 
economic freedom
protestant ethic
religion
religiosity
Catholicism
Islam
democracy
autocracy
JEL: 
D63
I39
J16
O11
Z12
Document Type: 
Working Paper
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