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Does Wealth Imply Secularization and Longevity?
Author(s) -
BECSI ZSOLT
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of money, credit and banking
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.763
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1538-4616
pISSN - 0022-2879
DOI - 10.1111/j.1538-4616.2009.00284.x
Subject(s) - longevity , secularization , competition (biology) , economics , consumption (sociology) , variation (astronomy) , neoclassical economics , sociology , political science , biology , social science , ecology , genetics , physics , astrophysics , law
We develop a simple life cycle model with endogenous longevity where religious firms influence religious beliefs using donations as an input. The model suggests that either wealth and economic development or competition by religious firms can explain cross‐country variation in religious beliefs, but to explain cross‐country variation in religious beliefs, longevity, and consumption both development and competition are required. Our results depend on the wealth and substitution effects that accompany economic development and religious market competition.