This article reviews economic research on religion undertaken in recent decades. Adam Smith [1904 (1776)] wrote extensively on the behavior of religious organizations in The Wealth of Nations, but the subject was thereafter absent from economic research until the late twentieth century. Contemporary research now recognizes that religious people not only espouse doctrines and beliefs but also undertake important resource-consuming and resource-producing activities. I begin with a section on the nature of religious movements, outlining the canonical club good model of Iannaccone (1992). I then draw on recent platform-economics models to reinterpret religious movements as platforms: organizations that facilitate and govern relationships—most notably communities—and appropriate a share of the value generated by these interactions. I address the demand for religion and the determinants and consequences of religious values and beliefs. Finally, I review research on the links between religion and politics.
本文回顾了近几十年来对宗教进行的经济研究。亚当·斯密[1904（1776）]在《国富论》中广泛论述了宗教组织的行为，但此后直到二十世纪末，该主题才出现在经济研究中。当代研究现在认识到，宗教人士不仅信奉教义和信仰，而且还从事重要的资源消耗和资源生产活动。我从关于宗教运动本质的一节开始，概述了 Iannaccone（1992）的规范俱乐部良好模型。然后，我利用最近的平台经济学模型将宗教运动重新解释为平台：促进和管理关系（尤其是社区）的组织，并从这些互动产生的价值中占有一定份额。我阐述了对宗教的需求以及宗教价值观和信仰的决定因素和后果。最后，我回顾了关于宗教与政治之间联系的研究。