Does establishment suppress the political activities of religious congregations? Evidence from Switzerland

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Serval ID
serval:BIB_3D3EF576955D
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Does establishment suppress the political activities of religious congregations? Evidence from Switzerland
Journal
Politics and Religion
Author(s)
Stolz Jörg, Monnot Christophe
ISSN
1755-0483
1755-0491
Publication state
Published
Issued date
01/03/2020
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
13
Number
1
Pages
28-56
Language
english
Notes
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 May 2019
Abstract
Establishment of churches is a central feature of the church-state regime in most European countries, and understanding the nature of such privileges is of key importance for both theoretical and political reasons. Yet, there is little empirical research on how establishment influences the organizational behavior of congregations. This article looks at this question by focusing on one relationship in one geographical context: we investigate whether establishment suppresses the political activities of congregations in Switzerland or not. We identify mechanisms that might lead establishment to suppress the political activities of congregations, and other mechanisms that might enhance such activities. We use representative National Congregation Study Data from Switzerland. Our results are unequivocal: establishment does not suppress the political activities of congregations. The level of establishment of the canton has no significant impact either on established congregations or on the religious field as a whole. Rather than establishment, important determinants of the political activities of congregations are religious tradition and income.
Keywords
Switzerland, Congregations, Politics, Parish, Established churches, church taxes
Create date
23/03/2019 18:27
Last modification date
28/11/2020 7:08
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