Politics, Religion and Money

the AZEL PERSPECTIVE Commentary on Cuba's Future, U.S. Foreign Policy & Individual Freedoms - Issue 385 B

José Azel's latest books "On Freedom" and "Sobre La Libertad" are now available on Amazon.  Politics, Religion and Money Share Tweet Forward

We have all been warned: politics, religion, and money are subjects we should not talk about with our dinner guests. And, for the most part, economists have heeded this advice and have sought to explain economic development without much reference to religion. That is, economists have failed to consider if religious beliefs make us richer or poorer. This is unfortunate because many societies spend significant time and money on religious practices. So, what is the economic impact of our religious practices?  In this explanatory vacuum, professors Rachel M. McCleary and Robert J. Barro explore in their book The Wealth of Religions, how religious beliefs and practices impact productivity and economic growth. They are not concerned with theology or doctrine. Their interest is in the economic costs and benefits of holding certain religious beliefs. This column follows their work.  Due to the sensitivity of the subject, it is perhaps necessary to mention at the outset that this is not an attack on religion by anti-religious authors. Professor Barro is an economist that describes himself as Jewish with more of an ethnic than religious affinity. Professor McCleary, is a philosopher, Methodist and religious, and this columnist is best described as a lapsed Catholic.  Interestingly, there seems to be a two-way interaction between religion and economic growth. Religiousness affects economic outcomes, and economic outcomes influence religiousness. One direction of causality is represented by the secularization hypothesis whereby, “increases in income, education, urbanization, and life expectancy...diminish individual religiousness and the role of religion in governance.” Broadly speaking, economic development leads to a decline in individual religious participation and beliefs when measured by attendance at religious services.  The other direction of causality - how does religion affect economic outcomes? - looks into German sociologist Max Weber’s arguments in his classic work Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1930 for the English translation). Weber looked for “the influence of certain religious ideas on the development of the economic spirit, or the ethos of an economic system.” For example, Protestantism’s emphasis on individual reading of the Bible is believed to  have led to higher literacy rates and thereby promoting economic development. In Weber’s thesis, religious beliefs impact economic development by fostering character traits such as work ethic, honesty, trust, and thrift.  In other words, richer countries are less religious than poor ones, and religiosity falls as countries get richer. One finding sure to please libertarians is that, when a state sponsors a religion the result is poor religious service, leading to a decline in religious participation and beliefs.  What about the economic impact of other religions such as Islam, Judaism, Hinduism or Buddhism? The topic is too vast for a newspaper column, but some scholars have argued, for example, that after the twelfth century Muslim countries began to decline economically following the suppression of independent thinking by religious elites. As the argument goes, Muslims became occupied with rote learning and memorization rather than critical thinking and independent judgement. Since all answers were provided by religious texts and religious authorities, Muslims were not exposed to new ideas and innovation. This is not an intellectual environment conducive to economic development.  In contrast, a standard argument for the economic success of Judaism seeks to explain why Jews became highly educated and specialized in professional fields. The argument emphasizes that persistent discrimination and the need for high portability of Jewish human capital are significant factors in motivating the pursuit of high levels of education. Also, the religious prohibition in Christianity and Islam of certain types of economic activities, for instance money lending for interest, created a demand for this occupational specialization by Jews in financial matters.  On balance, McCleary and Barro’s research shows that the effects of religiosity on economic growth are positive. They speculate that religious beliefs stimulate growth because they help to sustain aspects of individual behavior that enhance productivity such as honesty, thrift, and work ethic. Perhaps now it should be ok to talk about religion with our dinner guests. Please let us know if you  this article. We welcome your feedback. Abrazos, Lily & José (click on the name to email Lily or Jose) José Azel, Ph.D. José Azel left Cuba in 1961 as a 13 year-old political exile in what has been dubbed Operation Pedro Pan - the largest unaccompanied child refugee movement in the history of the Western Hemisphere.   He is currently dedicated to the in-depth analyses of Cuba's economic, social and political state, with a keen interest in post-Castro-Cuba strategies. Dr. Azel was a Senior Scholar at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS) at the University of Miami, Jose Azel has published extensively on Cuba related topics. In 2012 and 2015, Dr. Azel testified in the U.S. Congress on U.S.-Cuba Policy, and U.S. National Security.  He is a frequent speaker and commentator on these and related topics on local, national and international media.  He holds undergraduate and masters degrees in business administration and a Ph.D. in International Affairs from the University of Miami. José along with his wife Lily are avid skiers and adventure travelers.  In recent years they have climbed Grand Teton in Wyoming, trekked Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Machu Pichu in Peru.  They have also hiked in Tibet and in the Himalayas to Mt. Everest Base Camp. They cycled St. James Way (El Camino de Santiago de Compostela) and cycled alongside the Danube from Germany to Hungary and throughout southern France.  They have scuba dived in the Bay Islands off the Honduran coast and in the Galapagos Islands. Most recently, they rafted for 17 days 220 miles in the Grand Canyon.  Their adventurers are normally dedicated to raise funds for causes that are dear to them.  Watch Joe & Lily summit Kilimanjaro. Books by Dr. José Azel José Azel’s writings are touched with the wisdom of a master, and the charm of an excellent communicator. Anyone who wishes to understand why countries do, or do not, progress will find in this book the best explanations. And, from these readings emerge numerous inferences: How and why do the good intentions of leftist collectivism lead countries to hell? Why is liberty not a sub product of prosperity, but rather one of its causes? If it was in my power, this work would be required reading for all college and university students, and I would also recommend its reading to all politicians, journalists, and policymakers. With his writings Azel accomplishes what was achieved in France by Frédéric Bastiat, and in the United States by Henry Hazlitt: Azel brings together common sense with intelligent observation, and academic substance. Stupendous, Carlos Alberto Montaner                                                                    BUY NOW Los escritos de José Azel están tocados por la sabiduría de un maestro y la amenidad de un excelente comunicador. Cualquiera que desee entender por qué los países progresan, o no, encontrará en este libro las mejores explicaciones. De estas lecturas surgen numerosas inferencias: ¿Cómo y por qué las buenas intenciones del colectivismo de izquierda llevan a los países al infierno? ¿Por qué la libertad no es un subproducto de la prosperidad, sino una de sus causas? Si estuviera en mis manos, esta obra sería de obligada lectura de todos los estudiantes universitarios, pero además, le recomendaría su lectura a todos los políticos, periodistas y policy makers. Con sus escritos Azel logra lo que Frédéric Bastiat consiguiera en Francia y Henry Hazlitt en Estados Unidos: aunar el sentido común, la observación inteligente y la enjundia académica. Estupendo. Carlos Alberto Montaner                                                            Compre Aqui "Liberty for beginners is much more than what the title promises. It is eighty themes touched with the wisdom of a master, and the charm of an excellent communicator. Anyone that wishes to understand why countries do, or do not progress, will find in this book the best explanations. Stupendous" Carlos Alberto Montaner Buy Now "Libertad para novatos es mucho más de lo que promete el título. Son ochenta temas tocados con la sabiduría de un maestro y la amenidad de un excelente comunicador. Cualquier adulto que desee saber por qué progresan o se estancan los pueblos aquí encontrará las mejores explicaciones. Estupendo." Carlos Alberto Montaner Compre Aqui In Reflections on Freedom, José Azel brings together a collection of his columns published in prestigious newspapers.  Each article reveals his heartfelt and personal awareness of the importance of freedom in our lives.  They are his reflections after nearly sixty years of living and learning as a Cuban outside Cuba. In what has become his stylistic trademark, Professor Azel brilliantly introduces complex topics in brief journalistic articles. Buy Now En Reflexiones sobre la libertad José Azel reúne una colección de sus columnas publicadas en prestigiosos periódicos. Cada artículo revela su percepción sincera y personal de la importancia de la libertad en nuestras vidas. Son sus reflexiones después de casi sesenta años viviendo y aprendiendo como cubano fuera de Cuba.  En lo que ha resultado ser característica distintiva de sus artículos, el Profesor Azel introduce con brillantez complejos temas en  breves artículos de carácter periodístico. Compre Aqui Mañana in Cuba is a comprehensive analysis of contemporary Cuba with an incisive perspective of the Cuban frame of mind and its relevancy for Cuba's future. Buy now Pedazos y Vacíos is a collection of poems written in by Dr. Azel in his youth. Poems are in Spanish. Buy now

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