Dynamic models of religious conformity and conversion: theory and calibration

Arbeitspapier

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.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: WZB Discussion Paper ; No. SP II 2005-12

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Cultural Economics: Religion
• Subject: Conversion ; Religious conformity ; Role of the Church ; Nonconformity ; Nonreligious people ; Religious Affiliation ; Parents’ education ; Believers ; Nonbelievers

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Shy, Oz
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung (WZB)
• (where): Berlin
• (when): 2005

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/51062
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET