TY  - JOUR
AU  - Berman,Eli
AU  - Iannaccone,Laurence R.
TI  - Religious Extremism: The Good, The Bad, and The Deadly
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 11663
PY  - 2005
Y2  - October 2005
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w11663
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w11663.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Eli Berman
Department of Economics, 508
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, CA  92093
Tel: 858/534-2858
Fax: 858/534-7040
E-Mail: elib@ucsd.edu

Laurence Iannaccone
Chapman University
E-Mail: larry@econzone.com
M2  - featured in NBER digest on 2005-10-03
AB  - This paper challenges conventional views of violent religious extremism, particularly those that emphasize militant theology. We offer an alternative analysis that helps explain the persistent demand for religion, the different types of religious that naturally arise, and the special attributes of the %u201Csectarian%u201D type. Sects are adept at producing club goods both spiritual and material. Where governments and economies function poorly, sects often become major suppliers of social services, political action, and coercive force. Their success as providers is much more due to the advantages of their organizational structure than it is to their theology. Religious militancy is most effectively controlled through a combination of policies that raise the direct costs of violence, foster religious competition, improve social services, and encourage private enterprise.
ER  -