宗教信仰选择 一个西方宗教经济学的文献梳理

Choice of Religious Believes:A Literature Review of the Economics of Religion

本文在回顾归纳国外宗教经济学相关理论和经验成果的基础上,建立了"供给—需求"分析框架。笔者认为,既有宗教经济学理论主要从供给和需求两个角度来解释信仰选择的作用机制。宗教市场理论从供给出发,认为宗教市场结构是宗教信仰的重要决定因素;宗教社会资本理论、宗教家庭生产模型、宗教人力资本模型和宗教事后保障模型则从需求角度出发,分别强调社会网络的人际依恋、宗教参与的机会成本、宗教产品的生产效率和宗教组织的公共物品供给因素等在宗教信仰选择方面发挥的影响。改革开放以来中国社会宗教信仰领域发生了极大的变化,引入宗教经济学视野一方面能为考察分析当今中国宗教信仰现状及推动其理论发展带来相应的契机,另一方面应考虑中国与西方社会之间的差异以及特殊性,对该视野的运用要有所甄别。

This paper reviews theoretical and empirical studies of the economics of religion in Western countries using a ＂supply-demand＂ framework. It is found that the existing theories in the economics of religion try to explain the mechanism of religious choice from either the supply or demand angle. The religious market theory, based on the supply dimension, takes the religious market structure as the determinant of religious choice, whereas the religious social capital theory, religious household production model, religious human capital model, and ex-post social insurance model, all based on the demand dimension, underline the impact of the interpersonal attachment within social networks, opportunity cost of religion participation, efficiency of religious production, and public goods supply of religious organization on religious choice, respectively. The robust factors affecting the religious choice identified in the existing empirical studies include age, gender and family. Although economics of religion in the West has developed a lot in recent years, this discipline is still a new one and there are obvious limitations in it. Firstly, current theories usually emphasize only one of the mechanisms of the religious choice based on either supply or demand, rarely integrating the two aspects together. Secondly, none of the theories have enough empirical evidences. Thirdly, most of the current theories in economics of religion were built on traditional Christian religions without much about other major religiousus belief systems. Since the opening and reforming, China has experienced huge and rapid changes in religious faiths. Introducing economics of religion as a perspective to China offers an opportunity to examine the religious beliefs in current China and to build and develop related theories. Meanwhile, scholars should take into consideration the differences between the Chinese society and Western societies as well as the uniqueness of China when they want to do religious studies. They should be careful when applying this perspective.