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The Power of Religious Organizations in Human Decision Processes: Analyzing Voting Behavior

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  • Stadelmann, David
  • Portmann, Marco
  • Torgler, Benno

Abstract

In Switzerland, two key church institutions the Conference of Swiss Bishops (CSB) and the Federation of Protestant Churches (FPC) make public recommendations on how to vote for certain referenda. We leverage this unique situation to directly measure religious organizations power to shape human decision making. We employ an objective measure of voters commitment to their religious organization to determine whether they are more likely to vote in line with this organization s recommendations. We find that voting recommendations do indeed matter, implying that even in a secularized world, religion plays a crucial role in voting decisions.

Suggested Citation

  • Stadelmann, David & Portmann, Marco & Torgler, Benno, 2014. "The Power of Religious Organizations in Human Decision Processes: Analyzing Voting Behavior," VfS Annual Conference 2014 (Hamburg): Evidence-based Economic Policy 100481, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:vfsc14:100481
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Schnellenbach, Jan & Schubert, Christian, 2015. "Behavioral political economy: A survey," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 40(PB), pages 395-417.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • Z12 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Religion
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • D03 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Behavioral Microeconomics: Underlying Principles

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