The relationship between religion and economics, or more narrowly between religion and entrepreneurship, has been, perhaps counter intuitively, a more or less persistent theme of the history of the sociology of religion. In thinking about economics and entrepreneurship we probably somewhat automatically think about economic innovation and risk-taking behaviour along the lines classically suggested by economic sociologists like Joseph Schumpeter. In addition we probably equally automatically think of connecting economic entrepreneurship and religion through Max Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (2002). In 1911 in The Theory of Economic Development, Schumpeter (1961) defined entrepreneurship as the creative combination of factors of production into new commodities or markets, and he consequently regarded the growth of state bureaucracy and regulation of the economy as anathema to this creative drive towards new combinations.
From ARI Asia Trends 2007-Women and Religion in Asia, 29 June-2 July 2007.
