Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-24-2011
ISSN
1465-7252
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Language
en-US
Abstract
What purpose is served by a government's protection of religious liberty? Many have been suggested, the most prominent of which center on the protection of freedom of belief and expression. However, since every regulation potentially interferes with religious freedom, it is useful to consider more concrete purposes that could suggest limits on the degree to which religious liberty should be protected. This paper focuses on the concrete economic consequences of state regulation of religion. We examine the effects of state regulation on corruption, economic growth, and inequality. The results suggest that laws and practices burdening religion enhance corruption. Laws burdening religion reduce economic growth and are positively associated with inequality.
Recommended Citation
Keith N. Hylton, Yulia Rodionova & Fei Deng,
Church and State: An Economic Analysis
,
in
13
American Law and Economics Review
402
(2011).
Available at:
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1093/aler/ahr006
Comments
Published as: "Church and State: An Economic Analysis," 13 American Law and Economics Review 402 (2011).