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Facing Misfortune: Expenditures on Magico-Religious Powers for Cure and Protection in Benin

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  • Philippe LeMay-Boucher
  • Joël Noret
  • Vincent Somville

Abstract

Drawing on data we collected in Cotonou (southern Benin), we highlight the importance of magico-religious expenditures within Beninese households. We focus on magico-religious powers used to cure and protect one-self or relatives against negative health shocks and other misfortunes. Our questionnaire elicits information on expenditures on magico-religious diagnosis, prevention and treatment in the 12 months prior to our survey. Far from being anecdotal, our data show that out of the 178 households in our sample, 48% have declared some magico-religious expenditures. For these household heads, these expenditures represented on average 5.6% of all expenditures. Using an econometric analysis, we test several conjectures that can be found in the relevant literature as to what variables drive magico-religious expenditures. We find that the main determinants are economic success and tensions within the family and that economically successful agents resort to magico-religious expenditures as a substitute for transfers to acquaintances and relatives in dealing with redistributive pressures. Copyright 2013 , Oxford University Press.

Suggested Citation

  • Philippe LeMay-Boucher & Joël Noret & Vincent Somville, 2013. "Facing Misfortune: Expenditures on Magico-Religious Powers for Cure and Protection in Benin," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 22(2), pages 300-322, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jafrec:v:22:y:2013:i:2:p:300-322
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    Cited by:

    1. Nik Stoop & Marijke Verpoorten & Koen Deconinck, 2019. "Voodoo, Vaccines, and Bed Nets," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 67(3), pages 493-535.
    2. KUEPIE Mathias & TENIKUE Michel & WALTHER Olivier, 2014. "Small businesses performance in West African border regions: Do social networks pay off?," LISER Working Paper Series 2014-06, Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER).
    3. Haagsma, Rein & Mouche, Pierre v., 2013. "Egalitarian norms, economic development, and ethnic polarization," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 719-744.
    4. Gershman, Boris, 2016. "Witchcraft beliefs and the erosion of social capital: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 182-208.

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