RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Do Religious Proscriptions Matter?
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 1053
OP 1093
DO 10.3368/jhr.49.4.1053
VO 49
IS 4
A1 Daniel M. Hungerman
YR 2014
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/49/4/1053.abstract
AB A large literature shows that religious participation is associated with various behaviors and outcomes, but researchers lack an accepted instrument for religion and have struggled to establish whether these associations are causal. Using the canonical economic model of religiosity, I develop an empirical test to investigate the importance of religious participation, in particular religious proscriptions and rules, on determining behavior. The test relies on exogenous variation in the cost of secular activities rather than an instrument for religious participation. Several empirical applications of this test are conducted; the results indicate a strong role for religious proscriptions in determining behavior.