Religion in Emerging and Developing Regions
基于大规模调查数据，研究新兴与发展中国家宗教与经济的关系，发现宗教参与度持续上升，并分析收入波动、金融不安全和文化转型如何维持宗教需求，以及宗教机构作为公共服务提供者和政治参与者的角色。
This article examines the evolving relationship between religion and economic development in emerging and developing countries (EDCs). Building on large-scale survey data and recent scholarship, we document persistent and, in many regions, increasing levels of religiosity. First, we present global trends in religious beliefs and practices, highlighting a religious divergence between EDCs and high-income countries, as well as the continued prevalence of traditional belief systems alongside major world religions. Second, we analyze the determinants and consequences of religious behavior, showing how income volatility, financial insecurity, and cultural transitions sustain demand for religion. Third, we explore the institutional and political dimensions of religion in EDCs, emphasizing the role of religious institutions as public goods providers and as politically influential actors. This discussion offers a framework for understanding religious organizations as adaptive, competing platforms in pluralistic religious marketplaces. Overall, our findings suggest that religious adaptation, rather than decline, is central to understanding the future of religion and its economic implications in the developing world.