Religion, Longevity, and Cooperation: The Case of the Craft Guild

44 Pages Posted: 16 May 2008 Last revised: 8 Oct 2022

See all articles by Gary Richardson

Gary Richardson

University of California at Irvine; National Bureau of Economic Research

Michael T. McBride

University of California, Irvine - Department of Economics

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: May 2008

Abstract

When the mortality rate is high, repeated interaction alone may not sustain cooperation, and religion may play an important role in shaping economic institutions. This insight explains why during the fourteenth century, when plagues decimated populations and the church promoted the doctrine of purgatory, guilds that bundled together religious and occupational activities dominated manufacturing and commerce. During the sixteenth century, the disease environment eased, and the Reformation dispelled the doctrine of purgatory, necessitating the development of new methods of organizing industry. The logic underlying this conclusion has implications for the study of institutions, economics, and religion throughout history and in the developing world today.

Suggested Citation

Richardson, Gary and McBride, Michael T., Religion, Longevity, and Cooperation: The Case of the Craft Guild (May 2008). NBER Working Paper No. w14004, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1133918

Gary Richardson (Contact Author)

University of California at Irvine ( email )

3151 Social Science Plaza
Irvine, CA 92697-5100
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.socsci.uci.edu/~garyr/welcome.html

National Bureau of Economic Research ( email )

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.nber.org

Michael T. McBride

University of California, Irvine - Department of Economics ( email )

3151 Social Science Plaza
Irvine, CA 92697-5100
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
40
Abstract Views
1,414
PlumX Metrics