Introduction to the Economics of Religion
- L. Iannaccone
- Economics
- 1998
After a very long hiatus, economists have begun again to study the relationship between economics and religion. This article seeks to summarize and evaluate the principal themes and empirical…
Why Strict Churches Are Strong
- L. Iannaccone
- PsychologyAmerican Journal of Sociology
- 1 March 1994
The strength of strict churches is neither a historical coicidence nor a statiscal artifact. Strictness makes organizations stronger an more attractive because it reduces free riding. It screens out…
Sacrifice and Stigma: Reducing Free-riding in Cults, Communes, and Other Collectives
- L. Iannaccone
- EconomicsJournal of Political Economy
- 1 April 1992
This paper presents an economic analysis of religious behavior that accounts for the continuing success of groups with strange requirements and seemingly inefficient prohibitions. The analysis does…
The Consequences of Religious Market Structure
- L. Iannaccone
- Economics
- 1 April 1991
In a largely ignored chapter of The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith laid the foundation for an economic theory of religious institutions. Smith emphasized the importance of market structure, describing…
A supply-side reinterpretation of the secularization' of Europe
- R. Stark, L. Iannaccone
- Economics
- 1 September 1994
We propose a theory of religious mobilization that accounts for variations in religious participation on the basis of variations in the degree of regulation of religious economies and consequent…
Religious extremism: The good, the bad, and the deadly
- L. Iannaccone, E. Berman
- Political Science
- 1 October 2005
This paper challenges conventional views of violent religious extremism, particularly those that emphasize militant theology. We offer an alternative analysis that helps explain the persistent demand…
A Formal Model of Church and Sect
- L. Iannaccone
- PhilosophyAmerican Journal of Sociology
- 1 January 1988
The sociology of religion is an area rich in generalizations but poor in theory. Against this background, economic models offer the hope of better theory and more precise predictions. Previous work…
RISK, RATIONALITY, AND RELIGIOUS PORTFOLIOS
- L. Iannaccone
- Economics
- 1 April 1995
This paper derives a theory of religious behavior and organization from the assumption that people seek to limit the risk associated with their religious activities. Alternative risk reduction…
Corrigenda [Do People Play Nash Equilibrium? Lessons from Evolutionary Game Theory]
- L. Iannaccone
- Economics
- 1998
Supply-Side Explanations for Religious Change
- R. Finke, L. Iannaccone
- Political Science
- 1 May 1993
Traditional scholarship approaches religious history from the demand side, attributing developments to the shifting desires, perceptions, and circumstances of religious consumers. This article…
...
...