Religious Affiliation and Wealth

The economic relationship between religious affiliation and wealth is anything but straightforward. Unreliable or unavailable data sets create much difficulty when examining this issue. Many approach this topic from Max Weber’s The Protestant Work Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism; Weber argued that Protestant belief systems underlie capitalism and the Industrial Revolution. Much research in economic development has discredited Weber’s thesis. Nevertheless, economists still examine the linkage between religion and economic growth. At the microeconomic level, there are some connections between religious affiliation and income as well as the effect wealth has on the style of religion practiced.