Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/89783 
Year of Publication: 
2013
Series/Report no.: 
CESifo Working Paper No. 4526
Publisher: 
Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo), Munich
Abstract: 
In Switzerland, two key church institutions - the Conference of Swiss Bishops (CSB) and the Federation of Protestant Churches (FPC) - make public recommendations on how to vote for certain referenda. We leverage this unique situation to directly measure religious organizations' power to shape human decision making. We employ an objective measure of voters' commitment to their religious organization to determine whether they are more likely to vote in line with this organization's recommendations. We find that voting recommendations do indeed matter, implying that even in a secularized world, religion plays a crucial role in voting decisions.
Subjects: 
power
religion
voting
referenda
trust
rules of thumb
JEL: 
D03
D72
D83
H70
Document Type: 
Working Paper
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