Dynamic Models of Religious Conformity and Conversion: Theory and Calibrations

WZB Markets and Political Economy Working Paper No. SP II 2005-12

39 Pages Posted: 31 Aug 2005

See all articles by Oz Shy

Oz Shy

Federal Reserve Banks - Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Date Written: August 2005

Abstract

This paper develops behavioral and deterministic overlapping generations models to explain and simulate changes in the proportion of secular and religious people. Under the behavioral approach, the role of the church is to generate an externality associated with the investment in enhancing the conformity rate among young believers. Under the deterministic approach, changes in the number of nonbelievers are explained by different birth rates among secular and religious parents as well as the relative proportion of nonconformists among the young in each group. This model is then used to calibrate for (non)conformity rates among secular and religious people.

Keywords: Conversion, Religious conformity, Role of the Church, Nonconformity, Nonreligious people, Religious Affiliation, Parents' education, Believers

JEL Classification: Z12

Suggested Citation

Shy, Oz, Dynamic Models of Religious Conformity and Conversion: Theory and Calibrations (August 2005). WZB Markets and Political Economy Working Paper No. SP II 2005-12, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=791224 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.791224

Oz Shy (Contact Author)

Federal Reserve Banks - Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta ( email )

1000 Peachtree Street N.E.
Atlanta, GA 30309-4470
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.frbatlanta.org/research/economists/shy-oz.aspx?panel=1

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