Economists searching for reasons why some nations are richer than others have found that those with a wide belief in hell are less corrupt and more prosperous, according to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Mexico?
Posted on 07/27/2004 8:09:31 PM PDT by CaptIsaacDavis
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Economists searching for reasons why some nations are richer than others have found that those with a wide belief in hell are less corrupt and more prosperous, according to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Researchers at the regional Fed bank acknowledged the importance of productivity and investment in the economic process but looked at some recent unconventional efforts to explain differences in national prosperity.
The St. Louis Fed drew on work by outside economists who studied 35 countries, including the United States, European nations, Japan, India and Turkey, and found that religion shed some useful light.
"In countries where large percentages of the population believe in hell, there seems to be less corruption and a higher standard of living," the St. Louis Fed said in its July quarterly review.
For instance, 71% of the U.S. population believe in hell and the country boasts the world's highest per capita income, according to the 2003 United Nations Human Development Report and 1990-1993 World Values Survey.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.co.uk ...
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Economists searching for reasons why some nations are richer than others have found that those with a wide belief in hell are less corrupt and more prosperous, according to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Mexico?
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I thought Switzerland had the highest percapita income?
NOTE: THE SOURCE IS NOT USA TODAY. THAT WAS A MISTAKE. IT IS ACTUALLY HYPERLINKED TO THE REUTERS UK SITE.
What do the other 39% believe in?
I once knew someone who said she believed that whatever you thought happened to you after you died was what happened to you. I guess that works out well for everyone except for atheists, agnostics, Satanists, and her, as I can't help but note that, believing that, she would be caught in a recursion statement for all of eternity.
with a wide belief in hell are less corrupt and more prosperous,
Please delete or fix...
OLD TIME Religion Promotes Economic Growth, So Says the Federal Reserve!
USA Today ^ | July 27, 2004 | Reuters
The link is actually to the Reuters UK site where the article is posted. This was a mistake after locating an alternate source. I'll repost after deletion. THANKS
Is the original source USA Today? If so, it can only be posted as a title and link, no matter who else might have picked it up.
Now what moved the US Fed to suddenly get theological? This sounds like a report that would come out of a Christian think tank, not the green eyeshades of Uncle Sam.
And like someone pointed out, what about Mexico. Unless there are a whale of a lot of hell-less Catholics there.
Please see post #9
Even 4 years in a recursion statement seems like eternity. 1994-1998. It was like trying to nail jello to a tree. BTW, I have a work-around for nailing jello to a tree. We verified it in 1997.
/john
Nailing Jello to the tree works fine if you leave the Jello in the box.
The impetus for human beings to perform at a high level is devotion. Devotion to doing good. And this is especially serious business when there is a flipside.
Sounds like VooDoo Economics to me.
Original source is Reuters. USAT just re-printed it in their Money section online and confused me when I searched for it online (the link shows the original). If you want to delete, I'll repost the right way.
Yes, but they don't think that lying really sends them there.
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