The Wealth of Religions: The Political Economy of Believing and Belonging

Description

How religious beliefs and practices can influence the wealth of nations Which countries grow faster economically-those with strong beliefs in heaven and hell or those with weak beliefs in them? Does religious participation matter? Why do some countries experience secularization while others are religiously vibrant? In The Wealth of Religions, Ra

Rachel M. McCleary is lecturer in the Department of Economics at Harvard University. Her books include The Oxford Handbook of the Economics of Religion. Robert J. Barro is the Paul M. Warburg Professor of Economics at Harvard. His books include Education Matters: Global Schooling Gains from the 19th to the 21st Century and Economic Growth. They both live in Massachusetts.

"Co-Winner of the Gold Medal in Economics, Axiom Business Book Awards" "The Wealth of Religions glitters with empirical findings . . . . a product of meticulous research."---Jonathan Benthall, Times Literary Supplement "McCleary and Barro take an interdisciplinary approach, combining economics, sociology, anthropology, history, geography, theology, and philosophy; their observations are backed by large inputs of data . . . . The Wealth of Religions suggests that there are many more insights to be gained by incorporating religion into the forces of economics."---Peter Day, Church Times "A very stimulating book."---Paul Richardson, Church of England Newspaper