#17 – Sriya Iyer on the Economics of Religion

Dr Sriya Iyer is a Reader in Economics at the University of Cambridge and fellow of St Catharine’s College. Her research applies the tools of economics to topics such as religion, development, and education.

In this episode we discuss:

• [00:02:14] Introduction: Sriya Iyer
• [00:03:08] Background: What is the economics of religion?
• [00:07:25] Wealth: The Secularization Hypothesis (and why it's wrong)
• [00:12:02] Growth: Weber's Protestant work ethic
• [00:14:43] Demography: Religion and fertility in India
• [00:21:39] Fieldwork: Doing surveys in the developing world
• [00:29:31] Competition: Temples providing non-religious services
• [00:36:39] Signaling: The Club Good Model of Religion
• [00:44:00] Education: Religious versus secular schooling
• [00:47:42] Religious riots: The Political Economy of Hatred in India
• [01:02:57] Other research: Beliefs, experimental economics, and Islamic institutions
• [01:06:51] Social Capital: Trust, reciprocity, bonding versus bridging
• [01:09:41] Future of the field: Religion, Covid-19, and mental health
• [01:14:50] Final questions: Change in mind and book recommendations

You can read much more on these topics in our accompanying write-up: https://hearthisidea.com/episodes/sriya

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