Abstract
This dissertation examines how religion and culture shape behavior under different economic and institutional conditions. Evidence comes from U.S. politics, church responses to disasters, and historical China, combining text analysis, panel data, and archival sources.
“The Rich and the Righteous: Conservative Coalitions in an Unequal Society”: where inequality is higher, Republican legislators who vote more conservatively on economic bills also use more religious language, especially references to ‘God’, using congressional speeches and roll-call votes. The pattern is consistent with the bundling of economic conservatism and religious appeals.
“Faith in the Storm: Disaster Risks and Shifts in Protestant Membership in the U.S.”: evangelical churches expand more in disaster-prone areas than mainline churches, based on county-level panels of membership and attendance. The results align with differences in organization and relief orientation.
“Confucianism and the Persistence of Son Preference”: places with more historical academies show stronger modern son preference, using a new countylevel dataset linking academy locations to contemporary demographic indicators. The findings point to durable cultural effects.
Together, the chapters show how religion and culture interact with inequality and institutions to shape political behavior, community responses, and demographic norms.