?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Feprints.imtlucca.it%2F2218%2F&rft.title=Forbidden+fruits%3A+the+political+economy+of+science%2C+religion%2C+and+growth&rft.creator=B%C3%A9nabou%2C+Roland&rft.creator=Ticchi%2C+Davide&rft.creator=Vindigni%2C+Andrea&rft.subject=BL+Religion&rft.subject=HB+Economic+Theory&rft.subject=JA+Political+science+(General)&rft.description=This+paper+analyzes+the+joint+dynamics+of+religious+beliefs+and+scientific-economic+development.+It+emphasizes+in+particular+how+this+coevolution+is+shaped+by+(and+feeds+back+on)+political+conflicts+and+coalition+formation%2C+along+both+religious+and+income+lines.+As+part+of+our+motivating+evidence%2C+we+also+uncover+a+new+fact%3A+in+both+international+and+cross-state+U.S.+data%2C+there+is+a+significant+negative+relationship+between+religiosity+and+innovativeness+(patents+per+capita)%2C+even+after+controlling+for+the+standard+empirical+determinants+of+the+latter.+To+shed+light+on+the+workings+of+the+science-religion-politics+nexus+and+its+growth+and+distributional+implications%2C+the+paper+develops+a+model+with+three+key+features%3A+(i)+the+recurrent+arrival+of+scientific+discoveries+which%2C+if+widely+diffused+and+implemented%2C+generate+productivity+gains+but+sometimes+also+erode+existing+religious+beliefs+(a+source+of+utility+for+some+agents)+by+contradicting+important+aspects+of+the+doctrine%3B+(ii)+a+government+that+can+allow+such+ideas+and+innovations+to+spread%2C+or+spend+resources+to+censor+them+and+impede+their+diffusion%3B+(iii)+a+religious+organization+or+sector+(Church+or+churches)+that+can%2C+at+a+cost%2C+undertake+an+adaptation+of+the+doctrine+that+renders+it+more+compatible+with+the+new+knowledge.+The+model+leads+to+the+emergence+of+three+types+of+long-term+outcomes.+The+first+is+a+%22Secularization%22+or+%22Western-European%22+regime%2C+with+declining+religiosity%2C+unimpeded+scientific+progress%2C+a+passive+Church+and+high+levels+of+taxes+and+secular+public+spending.+The+second+is+a+%22Theocratic%22+regime+with+knowledge+stagnation%2C+extreme+religiosity%2C+a+Church+that+makes+no+effort+to+adapt+since+its+beliefs+are+protected+by+the+state%2C+and+also+high+taxes+but+now+used+to+subsidize+the+religious+sector.+In-between+these+two+is+a+third%2C+%22American%22+regime%2C+which+generally+(not+always)+succeeds+in+combining+unimpeded+scientific+progress+and+stable+religiosity+within+a+range+where+the+state+does+not+block+new+discoveries+and+the+religious+sector+finds+it+worthwhile+to+invest+in+doctrinal+repair+and+adaptation.+This+regime+features+lower+taxes+than+the+other+two%2C+but+with+positive+revenue+or+tax+exemptions+allocated+to+religious+activities.+We+also+show+that%2C+in+this+%22American%22+regime%2C+a+rise+in+income+inequality+can+lead+the+religious+rich+to+form+a+%22religious-right%22+alliance+with+the+religious+poor+and+start+blocking+belief-eroding+discoveries+and+ideas.+Inequality+can+thus+be+harmful+to+knowledge+and+growth%2C+by+inducing+obscurantist%2C+anti-science+attitudes+and+polices.&rft.date=2013&rft.type=Working+Paper&rft.type=NonPeerReviewed&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.language=en&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Feprints.imtlucca.it%2F2218%2F1%2FForbidennFruits.pdf&rft.identifier=++B%C3%A9nabou%2C+Roland+and+Ticchi%2C+Davide+and+Vindigni%2C+Andrea++Forbidden+fruits%3A+the+political+economy+of+science%2C+religion%2C+and+growth.++Working+Paper++%23+%2F2013++++++++(Unpublished)+++