TY - CHAP
T1 - Charitable Christians, punitive neighbors
T2 - Religiosity and economic norms in a water-scarce environment
AU - Jewell, Benjamin
AU - Wutich, Amber
PY - 2011/12/1
Y1 - 2011/12/1
N2 - This chapter examines how religion and religiosity shape economic norms in Villa Israel, an urban squatter settlement in Cochabamba, Bolivia. In Villa Israel, residents share water with others to help overcome limited access to drinking water. Using a mixed methods approach, we draw on the results of ethnographic research and economic experiments. The analyses yield three key results. First, there were strong norms of generosity and charitable giving in the community. Second, religiosity was positively associated with generosity. People who adhered to Christian conceptions of charity and frequently attended religious services were more likely to give generously. While wealth was a limiting factor on some families' ability to give water, there was no evidence that the rich and poor endorsed different norms of fair giving. Third, the norms of fair giving varied in the context of the three most common reciprocal relationships in the community (family members, coreligionists, and neighbors).
AB - This chapter examines how religion and religiosity shape economic norms in Villa Israel, an urban squatter settlement in Cochabamba, Bolivia. In Villa Israel, residents share water with others to help overcome limited access to drinking water. Using a mixed methods approach, we draw on the results of ethnographic research and economic experiments. The analyses yield three key results. First, there were strong norms of generosity and charitable giving in the community. Second, religiosity was positively associated with generosity. People who adhered to Christian conceptions of charity and frequently attended religious services were more likely to give generously. While wealth was a limiting factor on some families' ability to give water, there was no evidence that the rich and poor endorsed different norms of fair giving. Third, the norms of fair giving varied in the context of the three most common reciprocal relationships in the community (family members, coreligionists, and neighbors).
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84886863839&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1108/S0190-1281(2011)0000031015
DO - 10.1108/S0190-1281(2011)0000031015
M3 - Chapter
AN - SCOPUS:84886863839
SN - 9781780522289
T3 - Research in Economic Anthropology
SP - 307
EP - 337
BT - The Economics of Religion
A2 - Obadia, Lionel
A2 - Wood, Donald
ER -