The Role of Religion in Economic and Demographic Behavior in the United States: A Review of the Recent Literature

Evelyn Lehrer ()

No 3541, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This paper presents a critical review and synthesis of recent research on the role of religion in economic and demographic behavior in the United States. Relationships reviewed include the effects of religion on investments in human capital, labor supply and wealth accumulation; union formation and dissolution; and fertility. The paper also comments on the growing literature on the implications of religious dissimilarity between the spouses; on two different, possibly countervailing ways in which religiosity may affect demographic and economic behavior; and on the importance of estimating models that allow for possible non-linearities in the effects of religiosity.

Keywords: female labor supply; fertility; education; divorce; marriage; religion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J1 J2 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 24 pages
Date: 2008-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-soc
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

Published - published in: Evelyn Lehrer: Religion, Economics, and Demography, London: Routledge, 2009

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