Revolution Economics And Religion

Professor Waterman analyses the story of the 'intellectual repulse of revolution', and describes the ideological alliance of political economy and Christian theology after 1798.

This is a one-of-kind volume bringing together leading scholars in the economics of religion for the first time. The treatment of topics is interdisciplinary, comparative, as well as global in nature. Scholars apply the economics of religion approach to contemporary issues such as immigrants in the United States and ask historical questions such as why did Judaism as a religion promote investment in education? The economics of religion applies economic concepts (for example, supply and demand) and models of the market to the study of religion. Advocates of the economics of religion approach look at ways in which the religion market influences individual choices as well as institutional development. For example, economists would argue that when a large denomination declines, the religion is not supplying the right kind of religious good that appeals to the faithful. Like firms, religions compete and supply goods. The economics of religion approach using rational choice theory, assumes that all human beings, regardless of their cultural context, their socio-economic situation, act rationally to further his/her ends. The wide-ranging topics show the depth and breadth of the approach to the study of religion.

This volume examines the French Revolution’s relationship with and impact on religious communities and religion in a transnational perspective. It challenges the traditional secular narrative of the French Revolution, exploring religious experience and representation during the Revolution, as well as the religious legacies that spanned from the eighteenth century to the present. Contributors explore the myriad ways that individuals, communities, and nation-states reshaped religion in France, Europe, the Atlantic Ocean, and around the world.

The last decade has seen a major shift in the way nineteenth-century American history is interpreted, and increasing attention is being paid to the market revolution occurring between 1815 and the Civil War. This collection of twelve essays by preeminent scholars in nineteenth-century history aims to respond to Charles Sellers's The Market Revolution, reflecting upon the historiographic accomplishments initiated by his work, while at the same time advancing the argument across a range of fields.

A classic of political economy that traces the influence of religious thought on capitalism In one of the true classics of twentieth-century political economy, R. H. Tawney investigates the way religion has moulded social and economic practice. He tracks the influence of religious thought on capitalist economy and ideology since the Middle Ages, shedding light on the question of why Christianity continues to exert a unique role in the marketplace. The book offers an incisive analysis of the morals and mores of contemporary Western culture. In tough, muscular, richly varied prose, Tawney tells an absorbing and meaningful story. Today, the dividing line between the spheres of religion and the secular is shifting, and Religion and the Rise of Capitalism is more pertinent than ever.

Adam Smith, one of the founding fathers of contemporary economics, observed that religiosity is influenced by the extent of regulation in the 'market' for religion. In countries where there is a state-sponsored religion, one can expect less overall religiosity than if the market were competitive and religions had to compete to increase their membership. Religion, he claims, is like other goods and services supplied in a market economy.Max Weber, one of the founding fathers of contemporary sociology, similarly proposed that religiosity and economic principles are strongly interconnected phenomena. Weber famously thought that Protestant religious beliefs about the importance of work, savings and trustworthiness played an important role in sparking the Industrial Revolution and accelerating economic growth in the Western World.This edited volume contains original contributions by eminent scholars in the new and emerging field of the economics of religion. The contributions expand upon the ground-breaking ideas of Adam Smith and Max Weber. The chapters also illuminate new directions for research in this relatively young, intellectually exciting, and rapidly growing multidisciplinary field of scientific inquiry.