The formal rules of organised religion : a framework for empirical research
Patrikios, Stratos (2021) The formal rules of organised religion : a framework for empirical research. Journal of Contemporary Religion. ISSN 1353-7903 (In Press)
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Abstract
The ideal length of formal rules has been studied as a core preoccupation of firms and states. Shorter rules are the typical firm’s response to performance pressures concerning efficiency; longer rules are the typical polity’s solution to questions of political control and order. We know very little in this respect about the rules of an institution that has been longer-lived and more influential than most firms and states: organised religion. Are the drafters of church rules more sensitive to performance pressures, to political considerations or to both? The article brings together theories of constitutional politics, church and state, bureaucracy and economic competition to develop explanations of length variation in the core rules of churches. An empirical exploration proposes ways to test these expectations and produces relevant preliminary evidence. This new direction in the study of institutional religion can update our understanding of churches as complex institutions that lie somewhere between the ideal-typical firm and the ideal-typical polity.
ORCID iDs
Patrikios, Stratos
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Item type: Article ID code: 78264 Dates: DateEvent14 October 2021Published14 October 2021AcceptedKeywords: church governance, statutes, bureaucracy, constitutions, Political Science, Political Science and International Relations, Public Administration, Religious studies, SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions Subjects: Political Science Department: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS) > School of Government and Public Policy > Politics Depositing user: Pure Administrator Date deposited: 25 Oct 2021 14:08 Last modified: 18 Jan 2023 11:21 Related URLs: URI: https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/78264