Scandinavian Working Papers in Economics
Discussion Papers on Economics,
University of Southern Denmark, Department of Economics
No 7/2016: Church Membership and Social Insurance: Evidence from the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
Philipp Ager (), Casper Worm Hansen () and Lars Lønstrup ()
Additional contact information
Philipp Ager: Department of Business and Economics, Postal: University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark
Casper Worm Hansen: Department of Economics, Postal: University of Copenhagen
Lars Lønstrup: Department of Business and Economics, Postal: University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark
Abstract: Religious communities are key providers of social insurance. This paper focuses on the devastating impact of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 to investigate how an increase in the demand for social insurance affects church membership. We find a significant increase in church membership in flooded counties. This effect is stronger in counties with severe economic losses and where access to credit was limited. We also document that fundamental denominations gained more members in flooded counties, which is consistent with the theory of club goods emphasizing the efficient provision of mutual insurance in stricter religious communities.
Keywords: Religion; Informal insurance; Club goods; Natural disasters
51 pages, October 28, 2016
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dpbe7_2016.pdf?la=da
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