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Religious co-option in autocracy: A theory inspired by history

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  • Auriol, Emmanuelle
  • Platteau, Jean-Philippe

Abstract

The relationship between religion and politics is explored from a theoretical standpoint, assuming that religious clerics can be co-opted by the ruler acting as an autocrat. The comparative effects of decentralized versus centralized religions on the optimal level of cooperation between the autocrat and the religious clerics, which itself impinges upon political stability, is analysed. The paper shows that the presence of a decentralized body of clerics makes autocratic regimes more unstable. It also shows that in time of stability, the level of reforms is larger with a centralized religion than with a decentralized one. When the autocrat in the decentralized case pushes more reforms than in the centralized one, he always does so at the cost of stability. Historical case studies are presented that serve to illustrate the main results.

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  • Auriol, Emmanuelle & Platteau, Jean-Philippe, 2017. "Religious co-option in autocracy: A theory inspired by history," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 395-412.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:deveco:v:127:y:2017:i:c:p:395-412
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2016.12.007
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    3. Sriya Iyer, 2022. "Religion and Discrimination: A Review Essay of Persecution and Toleration: The Long Road to Religious Freedom," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 60(1), pages 256-278, March.
    4. Laeven, Luc & Popov, Alexander & Sievert, Clara, 2024. "Is religion an inferior good? Evidence from fluctuations in housing wealth," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 217(C), pages 705-725.
    5. Syed Waqar Akbar & Ajid Ur Rehman & Imran Arshad & Waseem Abbas Shaheen, 2024. "From Theory to Practice: Examining the True Impact of Institutional Quality on Innovation Commercialization," Bulletin of Business and Economics (BBE), Research Foundation for Humanity (RFH), vol. 13(1), pages 8-21.
    6. Auriol, Emmanuelle & Platteau, Jean-Philippe, 2017. "The Explosive Combination of Religious Decentralisation and Autocracy: the Case of Islam," TSE Working Papers 17-759, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    7. Antonis Adam & Sofia Tsarsitalidou, 2023. "Serving two masters: the effect of state religion on fiscal capacity," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 194(1), pages 181-203, January.
    8. Fourati, Maleke, 2018. "Envy and the Islamic revival: Experimental evidence from Tunisia," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(4), pages 1194-1214.
    9. Dodlova, Marina & Lucas, Viola, 2021. "Regime security and taxation in autocracies: Who is taxed and how?," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    10. Emmanuelle Auriol & Jean-Philippe Platteau, 2017. "The explosive combination of religious decentralization and autocracy," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 25(2), pages 313-350, April.
    11. Jean-Paul Carvalho & Jared Rubin & Michael Sacks, 2024. "Failed secular revolutions: religious belief, competition, and extremism," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 200(3), pages 561-586, September.
    12. Philippe Aghion & Ralph Haas & Guido Friebel & Sergei Guriev & Jan Luksic, 2017. "Introduction to the Special Issue on the Economics of the Middle East and North Africa," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 25(2), pages 141-148, April.
    13. Ahmed, Faisal Z., 2021. "Muslim conquest and institutional formation," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    14. Seror, Avner, 2018. "A theory on the evolution of religious norms and economic prohibition," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 416-427.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Autocracy; Instrumentalization of religion; Centralized and decentralized religion; Islam; Economic development; Reforms;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D02 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Institutions: Design, Formation, Operations, and Impact
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • N40 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • O57 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Comparative Studies of Countries
    • P48 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Other Economic Systems - - - Legal Institutions; Property Rights; Natural Resources; Energy; Environment; Regional Studies
    • Z12 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Religion

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