Human Capital and the Supply of Religion

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Engelberg, Joseph; Fisman, Raymond; Hartzell, Jay C.; Parsons, Christopher A.
• 署名单位: University of California System; University of California San Diego; Columbia University; University of Texas System; University of Texas Austin
• 刊物名称: REVIEW OF ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0034-6535
• DOI: 10.1162/REST_a_00582
• 发表日期: 2016-07
• 页码: 415-427
• 关键词: church; teachers; performance; COMPETITION

摘要

We study the role of labor inputs in religious attendance using data on Oklahoma Methodist congregations from 1961 to 2003. Pastors play a significant role in church growth: replacing a 25th percentile pastor with a 75th percentile one increases annual attendance growth by 3%. A pastor's performance in his or her first church (largely the result of random assignment) predicts future performance, suggesting a causal effect of pastors on growth. The deployment of pastors by the church indicates efficient use of labor: low-performing pastors are more likely to be rotated or exit the sample, and high-performing pastors are moved to larger congregations.