Religious Market Competition and Clergy Salary: Evidence from SBC Congregations in the South

A bstract .   We utilize a rich and unique data source covering 13,825 Southern Baptist Convention churches in seven Southern states to test the impact of religious market competition, or pluralism, on clergy salary. We link county-level religious market and socioeconomic data to the county in which each church is located. Two measures of religious output market are used. One is a narrow output market definition calculated using only SBC churches. The other is a more broadly defined measure calculated using 132 Judeo-Christian denominations. Using regression analysis, we conclude that greater concentration among Southern Baptist Churches' members within a given county area has a positive, and statistically significant, impact on Southern Baptist clergy salaries, while greater concentration among other denominations has no impact on Southern Baptist clergy salaries. Most importantly, we show that Southern Baptist Churches exhibit predictable economic behavior despite the ethereal nature of the product they provide.     

Clergy views on the marketing of the Church: insights from a UK survey

The marketing of the Church, an example of social cause marketing, has been the subject of increasing attention in the academic literature. At the same time churches in the United Kingdom are increasingly seen to be engaging in what have been termed marketing activities. A small number of studies have investigated the degree to which clergy in the USA view the use of marketing techniques as acceptable and appropriate. This paper makes a contribution to the continuing debate surrounding the use of marketing in a church setting by presenting the results of a survey of UK clergy in which they are asked about the appropriateness of marketing activities in the church context. While results indicate a general acceptance of marketing techniques, there is less acceptance among the clergy of the need to develop, and appropriateness of developing, a marketing orientation or philosophy. Copyright © 1999 Henry Stewart Publications     

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS AND INTER-JURISDICTIONAL COMPETITION

The European Union does not set its regulatory principles in line with those that the theory of public goods suggests. The Union does not have full competence in areas such as defence that might involve public goods over a Europe-wide area. Yet it does have competence over many areas that should be left to member states or local government. However, if competition between jurisdictions is prevented, there will be a drift towards centralisation of economic decision-making. This paper analyses this trend from the point of view of the theory of clubs and theories of market failure.     

LIBERTY BETWEEN THE LINES IN A STATIST AND MODERNIST AGE: UNFOLDING THE ADAM SMITH IN FRIEDRICH HAYEK

This article interprets F. A. Hayek as having been constrained by the statism and modernism of his times, and as writing in a way that obscured some of his central ideas. I suggest that between the lines we can see a focus on liberty understood hardily as others not messing with one's stuff– even though Hayek in The Constitution of Liberty defined liberty in ways that tended to obscure this hardy definition, and Hayek often used code words like ‘competition,’‘the market,’ and ‘spontaneous’ where ‘liberty’ or ‘freedom’ would have been plainer, albeit more offensive to the culture. Seeing the hardy definition of liberty between the lines in Hayek enables us to see his focus on the liberty principle and his case for a presumption of liberty. Such a reading of Hayek, I suggest, is true to Adam Smith, who expounded a central message that by and large the liberty principle holds, and that it deserves the presumption in our culture and politics.     

Fire the Planners

Professor Hayek has described how institutions arise through markets as a spontaneous order. Brian Micklethwait argues that architects have neglected the requirements of society and their clients alike in misinterpreting spontaneous architectural order. Without interference from town halls and international ideology, architects and their clients can come together in the market to the benefit of all.     

CLASSICAL LIBERALISM IN THE LIBERAL PARTY SINCE 1886

Although the Liberal Party has seen a clear shift towards social liberalism as its main philosophy since 1890 and has seen a series of defections to the Conservative Party, there has been a classical liberal element within the party throughout this period. Moreover, even when such people have left the Party they have typically not gone over to conservatism but have rather entered the world of think tanks and independent thought. Others have stayed in the party. This reflects the way that supporters of the ideas have rejected conservative social attitudes and have worked out a radical market position.     

MORALITY, ECONOMICS AND THE MARKET IN THE THOUGHT OF BENEDICT XVI

While not uncritical of aspects of modern capitalism, John Paul II's 1991 social encyclical, Centesimus Annus , directed official Catholic teaching towards more explicit affirmation of the moral potential of free markets, exchange and enterprise. Analysis of the pre-pontifical writings of Pope John Paul's successor, Benedict XVI, suggests that an equally nuanced approach to economics and the market from the most authoritative Catholic teaching authority is likely to continue.     

Homo Economicus Meets G. H. Mead: A Contribution to the Critique of Economic Theory

A bstract .   The relation between economic behavior and morality remains a live issue within economics and cognate disciplines. The standard view among economists themselves has been that while moral positions (understood broadly) may motivate our behavior, they do not capacitate or enable it. On this view the figure of Homo economicus , representing the how as against the why of our actions, must be understood as resolutely amoral. In this article, we attempt to recover the logic of this position, as well as those of critics who would modify the standard view in some way. Although also critical of the conventional economics-and-ethics divide, we argue that Homo economicus would benefit from a more fundamental rethinking, one that takes account of the theory of the self and its acts, as developed by the social psychologist G. H. Mead. On a Meadian view the economic actor would neither have to grow additional capacities in order to coordinate with his or her fellows, as the evolutionary games theorist's agent has to do, nor depart or deviate from purposeful behavior, as does Homo sociologicus . On a Meadian view, economic capacity has to be more richly endowed than standard Homo economicus in order to do what it is supposed to do, but it is recognizably still a single, purposeful capacity.     

PERFORMANCE-RELATED PAY AND THE PROSPECTS FOR GENDER PAY EQUITY

Equal pay for work of equal value has come to be almost inextricably associated with the application of job evaluation. Current trends towards performance-related pay systems pose a potential threat to the pursuit of greater gender pay equality as discretion in pay determination increases and there is no clear relationship between earnings and job grade. This paper examines the basis for this view drawing upon the now widespread literature and research into performance-related pay. the argument is made that the problem for gender equality lies both in the nature of the payment system and in the context in which it is being applied, including the changes in the nature of employment relationships that are accompanying these developments. While some women may benefit, overall the moves towards a widening income dispersion and the increased importance of management discretion and appraisal are likely to disadvantage women. However, the individualization of pay is likely to lead to further fragmentation of the interests of women, reducing the likelihood of collective resistance. Opportunities to monitor pay trends will also decrease as the spread of performance-related pay reduces the transparency of the labour market.     

Orders and Organizations:

A BSTRACT . We explore the relevance to the theory of economic organization of the distinction introduced by Hayek between two kinds of social order: spontaneous orders and organizations. We argue that Hayek's ideas lead to an understanding of the business firm as a process, which comes very close to some of the core notions of the evolutionary theory of the firm, while they still view the firm as the outcome of a contract among asset owners. First of all, we put forth a simple conceptual schema in order to differentiate between contracts that lead to the formation of an organization and ordinary market contracts. We then explore the conditions for an understanding of the firm as a set of interconnected processes, rather than as an end state. Finally, we introduce the concept of purposeful direction as an important condition for the existence of the firm and we show the history-contingent character of the firm's growth.     

THE BUS INDUSTRY: FRANCHISE AND THE LOSS OF FREEDOM

Political pressure exists for the bus industry to be brought under local authority control by means of 'Quality Contracts.'These would take away from management the freedom for marketing, and especially for marketing by price, that was returned to them by the 'deregulation' of 1985. The proposed franchises would return the industry to the 'bad old days' and prevent its continued improvement through market forces from taking place. The Department of Transport considered the idea of franchises in 1985, but concluded that it would merely lead to monopoly power.     

INSIDE THE'BLACK BOX' OF MARKET DISCIPLINE

This article considers the role of market monitoring and discipline in policy orientated towards maintaining financial stability. Although it is widely assumed that markets have a potentially powerful role in disciplining banks, the precise mechanisms are not always clear. In this sense, market discipline is something of a 'Black Box'. The purpose of this article is to consider the precise mechanisms within the Black Box and to outline the required conditions for market discipline to be effective. It is found that there is much that policymakers can and should do to enhance the effectiveness of market discipline and to ensure that market discipline is not impeded.     

THE LABOUR MARKET UNDER 'NEW LABOUR': THE FIRST TWO TERMS

Since 1997, UK labour market regulation has increased significantly, and this trend seems likely to continue. Yet the UK's performance in terms of employment and unemployment has been broadly satisfactory. The author argues that there may have been offsetting factors in both government policy and the macroeconomic climate that have enabled the labour market to function adequately. However, he suggests that this favourable conjunction may not continue.     

THE 1987 BUDGET

Our pre-Budget forecast published last month correctly anticipated the main Budget measures (with the exception of the decision not to re-valorise excise duties) and is very close to the Treasury's own forecast. We have updated the forecast for the Budget measures and other new information. Compared with the February Economic Outlook, our post-Budget assessment has revised down slightly the short-term forecast for output, inflation and the current account deficit. Consequently we share the Treasury's view that output will rise 3 per cent this year, but we are a little more optimistic on the outlook for inflation and the current account.
In holding the PS BR to last year's expected outturn of £4bn, and more particularly in cutting the PSFD by £11/2zbn, the Budget represents a tightening in fiscal policy. Whether the overall policy stance is tightened depends on the response of the monetary authorities. Early indications are that the government will prevent interest rates from falling as far or as fast as they would otherwise do and that the exchange rate will be allowed to rise. This implies a tightening of policy in order to head off problems on inflation or the balance of payments. This argument is supported by the Treasury's own forecast, which is more pessimistic on both inflation and the current account than its predecessor in the Autumn Statement, and explains the Chancellor's decision not to re-valorise excise duties. The post-Budget forecast incorporates this change in policy. We now assume that the sterling index averages 70 this year and that base rates fall to 9 per cent by the end of the year.     

Economic Outlook 1991–1995: The London Business School with Gower Publishing: Forecast Release: THE CHANCELLOR'S ECONOMIC ADVICE

Within the last month the Chancellor has made two important speeches on macroeconomic policy. The first, to Surrey businessmen in June, pledged the UK to the French route to a ‘virtuous circle of low inflation, rising competitiveness and increasing market share’; the second, in July to the European Policy Forum, vigorously defended his present policy against the alternatives, which he dismissed as ‘illusory or destined to fail’, of devaluation or cutting interest rates. On both occasions Mr. Lamont placed the permanent conquest of inflation at the centre of his policy, arguing that holding sterling at its present central parity of DM 2.95 is the only way to achieve this objective. In his view the consequence of any of the alternative proposals would be ‘either higher interest rates, higher inflation, or most likely both’. In this Forecast Release we consider these claims and the economic advice on which it is based. On the latter we would surmise that the thrust of the advice which Mr. Lamont is receiving is that he has the opportunity to deliver a sustainably low inflation rate and that this requires a stable pound within the ERM. The alternatives involve a sterling devaluation which, no matter how obtained, would obstruct the goal of permanently low inflation in return for only transient benefits on output and unemployment. But the price of defeating inflation has been high and is not yet fully paid. Moreover the goalposts have been moved: to reach the French position on competitiveness, which underpins their gains in market share and which has taken the best part of a deeade to achieve, requires a still better inflation performance on the part of the UK and while this is being achieved, adjustment costs will persist. It is partly in defence of his own policies and partly in an attempt to moderate the already-high adjustment costs that Mr. Lamont has adopted a more combative stance. His advice is that to compete with Europe, we cannot award ourselves pay increases far in excess of European levels, indeed we need a period of below-average pay rises.     

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND ITS SPATIAL IMPACT ON SINGAPORE

An efficient infrastructural support has been a key component to attract international investment supporting the export-oriented growth strategy of Singapore in the last thirty years. The current emphasis on information technology reflects not only a deepening process but also the necessity to enhance the productivity, hence the competitive edge of Singapore in the global market economy. Various computerization programs, including those for the civil service, have been implemented with success. It is expected, however, that the spatial impact contributed by the intensive use of information technology would be considerable. In light of recent rising asset inflation and operating costs, it is likely that the labor force could be driven more swiftly towards the services, leading to a premature deindustrialization, unless measures undertaken to counter the process are effective.     

THE NEED FOR MIDDLE-OUT DEVELOPMENT OF MARKETING STRATEGY

The current tendency to move decision making closer to those concerned with implementing decisions in order to make use of their local market and customer knowledge is timely, particularly in relation to marketing strategy. This tendency is reflected both in the shift away from broad strategic analysis and towards encouraging strategic thinking throughout the organization; and in the emergence of more decentralized strategy development through structural innovations such as Strategic Business Units. For the manager-in-the-middle who has historically had the task of relating the broad corporate strategies to the detail of delivering products and services to the customer, this shift in emphasis creates new stresses, for it is not possible for him to assume, even in the most established consumer goods companies, that the strategic development of such activities can be construed within the traditional marketing mix (4Ps) framework. Under such circumstances, he needs a framework which enables him to take account of the crucial interactions going on within the market's infrastructure itself between customers, competition and channels (3Cs). If the manager-in-the-middle is then to be effective in responding to his increasingly complex responsibilities in relation to such markets, he must also be given the ability to manage the micro-organizational context within which he delivers products and services. This micro-organizational context is crucial because it determines the quality of the relationship that can be sustained with the customer. The higher the quality of the relationship, the tighter the coupling that can be maintained with the local market. Such tight coupling makes the relationship with the customer more defensible against competition. It therefore provides the basis for sustaining and developing the profitability of value-adding products and services so necessary to long term corporate survival.     

THE TREASURY'S BUDGET

This year's Budget not only marked the end of Thatcherism, it also pointed to a shift in power back towards the Treasury. Mrs. Thatcher's favoured approach on local finance, child benefit and mortgage tax relief were unceremoniously dumped and replaced by the Treasury emphasis on fiscal neutrality and marginal tax rates. We discuss what this might mean for future Budgets. The Treasury forecast is extremely gloomy, predicting a 2 per cent drop in output this year. We remain more optimistic and, as in February, expect a revival in consumer spending to lead the recovery over the next few months. Despite our stronger output forecast, we endorse the Treasury view that inflation and the current account deficit will fall sharply this year.