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| Michael W. Walrath |
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| ''A Firm Entry Approach to Religious Pluralism and Religious Participation'' |
| ( 2017, Vol. 37 No.3 ) |
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| There are two competing theories regarding the effect of religious pluralism on participation. One argument (Sacred Canopy) is that increased religious diversity will decrease individuals' beliefs and participation. The other case (Religious Economies) is that increased religious competition will increase interest and participation. Voas, Crockett and Olson (2002) show that the previously standard way of testing these two competing theories is incorrect. This paper draws on the firm entry literature from industrial organization to present a different test of these theories. Specifically, an entry model inspired by Bresnahan and Reiss (1991) is used to test whether an increase in the number of denominations in a (small, isolated) market increases or decreases religious enthusiasm. |
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| Keywords: Entry, market structure, religious organizations |
JEL: L2 - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior: General
Z1 - Cultural Economics; Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology: General |
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| Manuscript Received : Jul 29 2017 | | Manuscript Accepted : Aug 31 2017 |
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