What is it in simple terms?

Competition among religious groups boosts participation.

How does it differ from secularisation theory?

It stresses supply and competition over declining demand.

Religious Economies Model

👥 Sociology By CampusDown Wiki Editorial Team Last updated October 27, 2026 Views 6

The religious economies model, developed by Rodney Stark, Roger Finke and Laurence Iannaccone, treats religious groups as competing suppliers and attributes religious vitality to market structure rather than demand.

Contents

1. Supply-side explanation
2. Strict churches
3. Critiques
4. FAQ
5. References

Supply-side explanation

Finke and Stark (1992) and Stark and Finke (2000) attribute vitality to deregulated competition.

Strict churches

Iannaccone (1994, 1998); Warner (1993) frames a shift from secularisation to rational choice.

Critiques

Chaves and Gorski (2001) and Bruce (1999); poor fit with civil religion and Europe.

FAQ

What is it in simple terms?: Competition among religious groups boosts participation.
How does it differ from secularisation theory?: It stresses supply and competition over declining demand.

Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26

References

Finke, R., & Stark, R. (1992). The churching of America, 1776–1990: Winners and losers in our religious economy. Rutgers University Press. Explains American religious history through market competition.
Stark, R., & Finke, R. (2000). Acts of faith: Explaining the human side of religion. University of California Press. Systematises the theory as formal propositions.
Warner, R. S. (1993). Work in progress toward a new paradigm for the sociological study of religion in the United States. American Journal of Sociology, 98(5), 1044–1093. Charts the paradigm shift from secularisation to market models.
Iannaccone, L. R. (1994). Why strict churches are strong. American Journal of Sociology, 99(5), 1180–1211. Explains strict churches' strength through screening free riders.
Iannaccone, L. R. (1998). Introduction to the economics of religion. Journal of Economic Literature, 36(3), 1465–1495. A review of the economics of religion.
Chaves, M., & Gorski, P. S. (2001). Religious pluralism and religious participation. Annual Review of Sociology, 27, 261–281. Finds weak support for pluralism raising participation, a key critique.
Bruce, S. (1999). Choice and religion: A critique of rational choice theory. Oxford University Press. A secularisation theorist's critique of rational-choice religion.

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This article was last updated on October 27, 2026. It is based on widely recognized original works and textbooks; when citing it in a paper, please check the original sources listed in the references.