Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP12810
Authors: Dean Karlan; James Choi; Gharad Bryan
Abstract: We study the causal impact of religiosity through a randomized evaluation of an evangelical Protestant Christian values and theology education program delivered to thousands of ultra-poor Filipino households. Six months after the program ended, treated households have higher religiosity and income; no statistically significant differences in total labor supply, consumption, food security, or life satisfaction; and lower perceived relative economic status. Exploratory analysis suggests that the income treatment effect may operate through increasing grit. Thirty months after the program ended, significant differences in the intensity of religiosity disappear, but those in the treatment group are less likely to be Catholic and more likely to be Protestant, and there is some mixed evidence that their consumption and perceived relative economic status are higher. We conclude that this church-based program may represent a method of increasing noncognitive skills and reducing poverty among adults in developing countries.
Keywords: Religion; Economics; Poverty; Noncognitive Skills
JEL Codes: D12; I30; O12
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Evangelical protestant education program (I29) | Higher religiosity (Z12) |
| Higher religiosity (Z12) | Household income (D19) |
| Evangelical protestant education program (I29) | Household income (D19) |
| Evangelical protestant education program (I29) | Perceived economic status (D12) |
| Higher religiosity (Z12) | Changes in religious identification (Z12) |
| Higher religiosity (Z12) | Grit (perseverance of effort) (D29) |
| Grit (perseverance of effort) (D29) | Household income (D19) |
| Evangelical protestant education program (I29) | Consumption (E21) |
| Evangelical protestant education program (I29) | Food security (Q18) |
| Evangelical protestant education program (I29) | Life satisfaction (I31) |
| Higher religiosity (Z12) | Economic outcomes (F69) |