Generating Generosity in Catholicism and Islam

Carolyn M. Warner is Professor of Political Science in the School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University. She is the author of Confessions of an Interest Group: The Catholic Church and Political Parties in Europe (2000), and articles in Perspectives on Politics and Psychological Science, among others. Ramazan Kilinç is Associate Professor of Political Science and Co-Director of the Islamic Studies Program at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. He has published articles in Comparative Politics, Political Science Quarterly, Politics and Religion, and Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, among other journals. Christopher W. Hale is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Alabama. He has published in outlets such as the American Journal of Political Science and Comparative Politics. Adam B. Cohen is Associate Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University, and is associate editor of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. He is the author of numerous articles, book chapters, and essays, including editor of the book Culture Reexamined (2013).

• 1. Introduction: what we know and don't know about religious-based generosity; 2. The charitable consequences of institutions and rituals in Catholicism and Islam; 3. Generosity, public goods provision and religious beliefs in Catholicism and Islam: an experiment; 4. The meaning of religion to Catholics and Muslims; 5. Religious beliefs, prosociality and connections to others; 6. Belief, belonging, and giving in Catholic parishes and Muslim associations; 7. Religious minorities and collective goods provision; 8. Does the welfare state undermine the generosity of Catholics and Muslims?; 9. Conclusion.

'The authors provide a carefully-crafted study of Muslims and Catholics and what determines their decisions to support charitable organizations. They employ cutting edge methodology that should be of interest to everyone studying the topic of religion. Their finding that both theology and institutions shape generosity moves us beyond simple dichotomies of religious behavior and reveals the complex nature of religiously-motivated action.' Anthony Gill, author of The Political Origins of Religious Liberty