The Economics of Religion by Robert M Sauer

Author:Robert M Sauer
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789811273155
Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
Published: 2023-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

1The definition and classification of ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jews is somewhat problematic, as CBS Labor Force Surveys do not classify individuals by their level of religiosity. Ultra-Orthodox Jews are usually defined using the question on “last institution of study.” Male respondents, who report that yeshiva (an institution for the advanced study of Jewish religious texts) is their last place of study, are labeled as ultra-Orthodox. A similar approach is used also for the classification of ultra-Orthodox women. In some of the CBS Annual Social Surveys (2002, 2008, 2009, 2013) there is a direct question on religiosity (“how would you define your level of religiosity?”). The 2009 Social Survey was devoted to “Religiosity and Family” and includes questions on various aspects of religion and religiosity.

2Historical data show that within three and a half decades (1980–2015), the share of the Haredi population increased from 4 percent to about 12 percent (Kasir [Kaliner], 2019).

3In 2012, the Total fertility Rate (TFR) was about 7 for Haredi women, compared to 3.1 for the general Israeli population (Weinreb et al., 2018).

4Interestingly, it appears that the three winners of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics (Michael Kremer, Abhijit Banerjee, and Esther Dufllo; announced by the Swedish Academy on October 15, 2019), used a similar approach to fight poverty in low-income countries: They used field experiments that expose the motives that shape the behavior of the poor. By responding to these motives (in the fields of health, education employment) behavior can be changed, and the well-being of the poor cab be elevated.

5A potential explanation for the decrease in employment rates of Haredi men is the decrease in their educational attainments. The population of Haredi men is the only group in Israel (and maybe in the industrialized world) where the (secular/general) educational attainments were decreasing with time, rather than increasing: In 2010, about 47.4 percent of Haredi men had only 0–8 years of formal education (up from 31.3 percent in 2002). The parallel figure for the age group of 20–24 is even higher — 68 percent — another indication for the significant decrease over time in educational attainments; only 11.7 percent had 9–12 years of education (down from 25.6 percent in 2002). The share of individuals with academic education was 7.5 percent within the age group of 25–44, compared to 15 percent within the age group of 45–64 — an additional signal of the decline in educational attainments. Haredi women are more educated than men and the majority of them have at least 12 years of schooling (Regev, 2013).

6Poverty rates are very high among the Haredi group. In 2017, 48.6 percent of Haredi households were below the poverty line. The parallel figure for non-Haredi Jews was 8.3 percent (Kasir [Kaliner], 2019).

7It is important to note that the two do not necessarily contradict. The values of providing for your family and having a meaningful job, can coexist.

8The recent figures are way above the target set by the Israeli government — an employment rate of 63 percent in 2020 (Eizencot, 2018).

9Two other

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