Spatial and Economic Analysis of the Decline in Church Giving During and Following the Economic Crisis

Charitable giving in the Unites States was hit hard by the economic crisis. Both Christian churches and other non-profit organizations were affected. As the economy began to recover, charitable giving overall continued to suffer in 2010. In 2012, donations to non-profits rose, while churches continued to see decline. Since donations are not always impacted solely by economic conditions. This presented the question of motivation driving the individual allocation of resources to churches. This study found that, although decline in income had some correlation with decline in giving, the decline in Christian church donation receipts was driven primarily by religious demographic factors.

The full paper will be available after publication. 

On the Atrophy of Moral Reasoning and the Global Financial Crisis

Kim Hawtrey and Rutherford Johnson

Journal of Religion and Business Ethics

Abstract

The Global Financial Crisis - and its human toll - can be attributed to an atypical pandemic of morally sourced market failure. This paper develops a ‘moral bubble’ understanding of the sub-prime crisis, in which ethical decision-making by economic actors is marked by expediency and crowd effects. The paper revisits Adam Smith’s Theory of Moral Sentiments and shows Smith’s theory offers a helpful corrective to the ethical atrophy behind the recent credit crisis. The need to safeguard the 'soft' (moral) infrastructure of markets has significant implications for business decision-makers, for public policy, and for the role of Christian belief in society.

Hawtrey, Kim and Johnson, Rutherford (2010) "On the Atrophy of Moral Reasoning in the Global Financial Crisis," Journal of Religion and Business Ethics: Vol. 1, Article 4. Available at: http://via.library.depaul.edu/jrbe/vol1/iss2/4

High Altitude Mountain Economics

This study was started to investigate the effects of extreme environments on consumer decision. Other studies demonstrated the impact of high altitude on both physical and mental processes. So, it was reasonable to postulate that consumer/monetary decisions might also be impacted. We designed a survey instrument designed to elicit willingness to accept compensation for not reaching the summit. This was administered at low altitude through the internet and at several high altitude mountain locations around the world. The high altitude and low altitude results were statistically compared. The results suggest that economic decision is impacted by extreme environment.