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Did the Devil Make Them Do It? The Effects of Religion in Public Goods and Trust Games

Author

Listed:
  • Lisa R. Anderson

    (Department of Economics, College of William and Mary)

  • Jennifer M. Mellor

    (Department of Economics, College of William and Mary)

  • Jeffrey Milyo

    (Department of Economics, University of Missouri)

Abstract

Observational studies frequently support the popular belief that religion is associated with more other-regarding behavior; however, such studies are well known to be susceptible to the confounding effects of unobserved determinants of cooperation and trust. We test whether religious affiliation and participation in religious services are associated with behavior in public goods and trust games. Contrary to popular wisdom, religious affiliation is unrelated to individual behavior. However, we do find some weak evidence that among subjects attending religious services, increased participation is associated with behavior in both public goods and trust games.

Suggested Citation

  • Lisa R. Anderson & Jennifer M. Mellor & Jeffrey Milyo, 2005. "Did the Devil Make Them Do It? The Effects of Religion in Public Goods and Trust Games," Working Papers 20, Department of Economics, College of William and Mary.
    • Handle: RePEc:cwm:wpaper:20
    as

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    File URL: http://economics.wm.edu/wp/cwm_wp20rev3.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    religion; Public goods; experiments; religion; social capital and trust;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C9 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments
    • H4 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods
    • Z1 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics

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