2020/09/24 by David M. A. Murphy, Vesall Nourani, David R. Lee · 11 citations
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Attendance #Church attendance #Culture, Economy, and Development Studies #Demographic economics #Diffusion #Econometrics #Economic growth #Economics #Institution #Instrumental variable #Interpersonal ties #Law #Microfinance and Financial Inclusion #Political science #Psychology #Religion, Society, and Development #Religiosity #Religious organization #Social psychology #Social science #Sociology
paper · doi:10.1162/rest_a_00969
published in The Review of Economics and Statistics 104(3), 449-464 (The MIT Press)
openalex publication_date 2020/09/24 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
Abstract This paper shows the causal relationship between mutual religious association and the formation of social ties. We analyze dyadic relationships and show that joint attendance at a religious institution (RI) increases the probability of sharing information with and trusting a peer. We use a novel spatial instrumental variable strategy that combines insights from homestead inheritance institutions with triangular distances between peers and RI locations within villages in Kenya. We find that shared attendance at an RI increases the likelihood of receiving advice from a peer by 30 percentage points, demonstrating the strong impact of weak ties formed through social spaces.