Course Syllabus
Economics 452: Religion, Ethics, and Economics (of Trust & Inclusion) -- Spring 2024
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Professor: Mahmoud A. El-Gamal Classes: MW 2:00--3:15 KRF 120 Office Hours: M 12:30--1:30 KRF 429 |
Course Description:
This course is a research seminar on the interactions between religion, ethics, and economics. Traditional topics include empirical tests of classical theories such as the Durkheimian (Secularization) and Weberian (Protestant Ethic) hypotheses, as well as more recent models of the economics of religion and the economic effects of religiosity.
Our focus this year will be on the determinants and economic consequences of trust and inclusion (or lack thereof).
Students will work in teams on small projects to replicate and/or extend empirical results in some of the readings that we will discuss throughout the semester. Students will also write individual term papers on topics of their choice subject to the approval of the professor.
While supplementary readings are recommended (i.e. not required), some selected readings may prove helpful for your team projects and individual term papers.
AI-Assisted Learning:
Students are allowed and encouraged to use AI tools in conducting literature surveys, writing R codes, and authoring text for team project slides and term papers. Illustrations on how to use those tools will be integrated into lecture preparation and slides.
No prior expertise in R or utilization of those tools is required. You can acquire these skills through the course projects (learning by doing).
An excellent source for data and term paper ideas: theArDA.
We will also explore data sources not included in theArDA during lectures and in group projects.
Tentative Recommended supplementary readings:
- Witham, Larry. Marketplace of the Gods: How Economics Explains Religion, Oxford University Press, 2010
- Bowles, Samuel. The Moral Economy: Why Good Incentives Are No Substitute for Good Citizens, Yale University Press, 2016
- Kolm, Serge-Christophe and Jean Mercier Ythier (eds.) Handbook of The Economics of Giving, Altruism and Reciprocity: Foundations (Volume 1), Elsevier, 2006
- Scharf, Kimberley and Mirco Tonin (eds.) The Economics of Philanthropy, Donations and Fundraising, The MIT Press, 2018
Tentative syllabus:
- Week 1 -- January 8, 10: Economics of Religion Literature and Data (GSS, WVS)
- Some readings used in lectures: SEP 2019, Iannaccone 1998, McCleary and Barro 2006, Iyer 2016
- Week 2 -- January 17: Economics of Philanthropy Literature and Data
- Some readings used in lectures: Alesina and Giuliano 2009, SEP 2020, Becker 1974, Andreoni 2006, Carnegie 1906, Roser et al 2022, Falk et al 2018
- Week 3 -- January 22, 24: Beckerian Economic Models of Religion & Philanthropy
- Some readings used in lectures: Azzi and Ehrenberg 1975, Iannaccone 1990, Barro and McCleary 2005, Iannaccone et al 1997, Voas et al 2002, Ekelund et al 2002, Auten et al 2002, Saez et al 2012, Brown and Lankford 1992, Freeman 1997, Duquette 2018
- Week 4 -- January 29, 31: Ethics and Economics Theory and Evidence
- Some readings used in lectures: Bowles 2000, Bowles 2008, Henrich et al. 2001, Henrich et al. 2010, Fehr et al. 2006, Bruni and Sugden 2013, Putnam 2003, Glaeser et al. 2002, Putnam 2007, Algan and Cahuc 2013
- Week 5 -- February 5, 7: Team Project Presentations I
- Team project presentations (assignment will be posted and discussed early in Week 3; technical required element: difference in difference analysis)
- Week 6 -- February 12, 14: Religions, Ethics and Philanthropy
- Some readings used in lectures: Arrow 1972, Falk et al 2016 (plus online supplement), Falk et al 2018 (plus online supplement)
- Week 7 -- February 19, 21: Religion and Economic Attitudes
- Some readings used in lectures: MacCulloch 2005, Scheve and Stasvage 2006, Gaskins et al 2013, Guizo et al 2003, Guizo et al 2006, van Hoorn and Maseland 2013, Gruber 2005
- Week 8 -- Feb 26, 28: Team Project Presentations II
- Core bibliography, data set, and summary of proposed individual papers due
- Second set of team project presentations (assignment will be posted and discussed early in Week 6, technical required element: merging data from multiple sources)
- Week 9 -- March 4, 6: Macroeconomic Effects of Religion
- Some readings used in lectures: Ekelund et al 2002, Becker and Woessman 2009, Berggren and Bjornskov 2011, Gorodnichenko and Roland 2011,
- Week 10 -- March 18, 20: Microeconomic Effects of Religion
- Some readings used in lectures: Chen and Li 2009, Emmenegger and Manow 2014, Fisman et al 2015, Anderson and Melor 2009, Hilary and Hui 2009, Kumar et al 2011, Tan and Vogel 2008, Tan 2006
- Week 11 -- March 25, 27: Team Project Presentations III
- Third set of team project presentations (assignment will be posted and discussed early in Week 9, technical required element: using instrumental variables to address endogeneity)
- Week 12 -- April 1, 3: Individual Student presentations (term paper synopses)
- Week 13 -- April 10: Individual Student presentations (term paper synopses)
- Week 14 -- April 15, 17: Individual Student presentations (term paper synopses)
Grading:
- Class participation: 20%
- Team project presentations: 30%
- Individual term paper presentation: 30%
- Term paper: 20%
Course Summary:
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