TY - JOUR
T1 - Competition and participation in religious markets
T2 - Evidence from Victorian Scotland
AU - Mochrie, Robert I.
AU - Sawkins, John W.
AU - Naumov, Alexander
PY - 2008/12
Y1 - 2008/12
N2 - In 1885, the largest churches in Scotland were engaged in a dispute about state funding. We use data generated in the course of that dispute to test two related hypotheses. First, as market size (proxied by population) increases, the competitiveness (or complexity) of the religious market structure will not decrease. Second, religious activity, as measured by giving per member, church income and participation, will not decrease as market competitiveness (or complexity) increases. Empirical evidence lends support to the first hypothesis, but casts doubt on the second, and the supply-side theories underpinning it, which posit a causal link between increased competitiveness (complexity) and higher levels of religious activity. In interpreting the results the importance of a rich understanding of institutional arrangementsparticularly market structure, governance and financingis underlined. © 2008 The Association for Social Economics.
AB - In 1885, the largest churches in Scotland were engaged in a dispute about state funding. We use data generated in the course of that dispute to test two related hypotheses. First, as market size (proxied by population) increases, the competitiveness (or complexity) of the religious market structure will not decrease. Second, religious activity, as measured by giving per member, church income and participation, will not decrease as market competitiveness (or complexity) increases. Empirical evidence lends support to the first hypothesis, but casts doubt on the second, and the supply-side theories underpinning it, which posit a causal link between increased competitiveness (complexity) and higher levels of religious activity. In interpreting the results the importance of a rich understanding of institutional arrangementsparticularly market structure, governance and financingis underlined. © 2008 The Association for Social Economics.
KW - Competition
KW - Institutional structure
KW - Presbyterian
KW - Scotland
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=57749087880&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/00346760801932726
DO - 10.1080/00346760801932726
M3 - Article
SN - 0034-6764
VL - 66
SP - 437
EP - 467
JO - Review of Social Economy
JF - Review of Social Economy
IS - 4
ER -