In 1885, the largest churches in Scotland were engaged in a dispute about state funding. We use data generated in the course of that dispute to examine the standard economics of religion hypothesis that higher levels of competition in 1032 local markets for religious services, proxied by the number of denominations active in each, were associated with higher religious affiliation, proxied by measures of attendance and voluntary congregational giving. Adapting the complexity order approach of Montgomery (2003), we find evidence that is congruent with the hypothesis. However, we contend that the evidence is better explained by an alternative proposition that, given the particular institutional structure of markets and denominations at this time, market complexity does not decline with increasing market size
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Paper provided by Department of Economics, School of Management and Languages, Heriot Watt University in its series Working Papers with number
E01.
Find related papers by JEL classification: L88 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Government Policy N93 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History - - - Europe: Pre-1913
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