A Theory of Religious Affiliation

Prosper Raynold ()
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Prosper Raynold: Department of Economics, Farmer School of Business, Miami University, 800 E. High Street, Oxford, OH 45056, USA

Journal of Economics, Management and Religion (JEMAR), 2022, vol. 03, issue 01, 1-39

Abstract: This paper develops a theory of religious affiliation within a framework in which religious denominations are faith intermediaries and in which risk-averse laypeople consider both religious rewards and risks in making affiliation decisions. Necessary and sufficient conditions for laypeople to affiliate with denominations suggest that their perceptions of denominational trustworthiness and of the combination of risk and return implicit in the doctrinal paths denominations prescribe, are key determinants. As such, denominations use doctrinal innovation to manage their affiliations. Overall, the theory is consistent with key empirical facts and yields testable implications on both aggregate and cross-denominational variation in religious affiliation.

Keywords: Doctrinal prescription; commitment inducement; religious affiliation; faith intermediaries; religious risk (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1142/S2737436X22500042

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