Teaching the Economics of Religion

1
Teaching the Economics of Religion

• Mixing it into Undergraduate Courses
• Robert J. Stonebraker
• Winthrop University

2
Why Should We Do It?

• Its fun and exciting!
• Using unconventional applications matters
• It appeals to liberal arts students
• It expands perspective of business majors
• Religion matters to our students

3
How Can We do It?

• Supplementary readings
• For use in classroom discussion
• For use in short writing assignments
• Topics for student research papers
• Integrate into course outline

4
Where Can We Integrate Economics of
Religion?

• Free-riding
• Non-exclusion policies
• Churches as clubs
• Impact on contributions
• Sacrifice and stigma

5
Where Can We Integrate Economics of Religion?

• Market structure
• Does monopoly lead to religious sloth?
• How do religious market structures vary across
  time and across countries?
• How do government entry barriers affect religious
  behavior?

6
Where Can We Integrate Economics of Religion?

• Market strategy
• Overcoming credence good problems
• Maintaining consumer loyalty

7
Where Can We Integrate Economics of Religion?

• Spatial location models
• Competition in theological product space
• Impacts on entry and product mix

Conservative Theology
Liberal Theology


8
Other possibilities

• Rational terrorism
• Religious capital
• Firm goals
• Government vs. religious provision of public
  goods Crowding in or crowding out?
• Religion as a signal in game theoretic situations

9
An entire course?

• More credibility and awareness
• Will it draw students?
• Undergraduate textbook?