Addressing the religious free-rider problem via religious consumption signaling and religious capital accumulation
Date
2012
Authors
Simpson, Jason J., author
Bernasek, Alexandra, advisor
Zahran, Sammy, committee member
Dickinson, Greg, committee member
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Abstract
The aim of this paper is to investigate and illustrate the religious free-rider problem within church congregations while investigating religious consumption signaling patterns and the ability, or lack thereof, to form religious capital. From an institutional perspective, this paper will address stigma-screening processes via three economic models in an effort to understand and evaluate the overall effectiveness of institutional responses towards free-riding members. In addition, this paper will explore incentives behind perverse consumption signaling as a method of communicating membership, as well as the overall impact of restricting religious capital accumulation for both members and free-riders alike.
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Subject
consumption signaling
religious free-rider
religious capital