Randomizing religion: the impact of Protestant evangelicalism on economic outcomes

Gharad Bryan, James Choi and Dean Karlan

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: We study the causal impact of religiosity through a randomized evaluation of an evangelical Protestant Christian values and theology education program. We analyze outcomes for 6,276 ultra-poor Filipino households six months after the program ended. We find increases in religiosity and income, no statistically significant changes in total labor supply, consumption, food security, or life satisfaction, and a decrease in perceived relative economic status. Exploratory analysis suggests that the income treatment effect may operate through increasing grit. We conclude that this church-based program may represent a robust method of building non-cognitive skills and reducing poverty among adults in developing countries.

Keywords: religion; economics; poverty; non-cognitive skills (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D12 I30 O12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 81 pages
Date: 2018-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev and nep-ore
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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