Description
Book SynopsisCan individual decisions concerning whether or where to attend church, to contribute time or money to religious organizations, or to forgo certain activities be explained as a special case of economic theory? In Sacred Markets, Sacred Canopies, Ted G. Jelen brings together the leading scholars in the sociology of religion to debate market theories of religion. As the contributors examine whether or not religious choices can be understood as responding to the same laws of supply and demand as other forms of consumer behavior, they bring out many of the issues, controversies, and concerns surrounding this innovative theory. The result is a concise source for the arguments, evidence, and criticism of the market model of religious economiesa perfect starting point for students and scholars approaching this set of problems.
Table of ContentsChapter 1 More Progress on the New Paradigm Chapter 2 Beyond Church and Sect: Dynamics and Stability in Religious Economics Chapter 3 A Prophet's Reward: Dynamics of Religious Exchange Chapter 4 Religious Markets: Supply, Demand, and Rational Choices Chapter 5 A Political Economy of Religion Chapter 6 Competing Notions of Religious Competition and Conflict in Theories of Religious Economies Chapter 7 The Poverty of Economism or the Social Limits on Maximising Chapter 8 Reflections on the "New Paradigm": Unfinished Business and an Agenda for Research
