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ECON 17 Homework 7
In HW 6 question 3, you learned how the old view argued that religious pluralism undermined religiosity by undermining plausibility. Someone who subscribed to this old view would also argue that religious regulations that limit religious competition are necessary to prevent the competition that undermines plausibility and religiosity. Thus, the old view says that government regulations on religion are important for the sustenance of religion.
Answers may vary. For example, you might want regulations that favor one group over another if you believe that group’s teachings are morally superior of if you believe other groups’ teachings are morally inferior. A relatively open religious market might instead be preferred if you believe that the ability to participate in a religion of choice is a human right.
See Brekke, Faithonomics, pp. 146 and beyond. Answers can vary because there could be various reasons why fewer people attend church and consider themselves religious as the state intervences. One is that the religious group’s reputation or credibility is damaged by association with the state, particularly if the state or government is perceived as illegitimate. The state might also crowd out religious services.
(a) According to the USCIRF web site: “USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission, the first of its kind in the world, dedicated to defending the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad. USCIRF reviews the facts and circum- stances of religious freedom violations and makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the Presi- dent and the Congressional leadership of both political parties.” (https://www.uscirf.gov/about- uscirf, accessed 14 May 2020). (b) See the FAQ page on the USCIRF web site. Countries of particular concern (CPCs)
are countries that engage in particularly severe violations of religious freedom, i.e., “sys- tematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom” (https://www.uscirf.gov/about- uscirf/frequently-asked-questions#FAQ%205, accessed 14 May 2020). These violations can include torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or pun-
ishment; prolonged detention without charges; causing the disappearance of persons by the abduction or clandestine detention of those persons; or other flagrant denials of the right to life, liberty, or the security of persons. The CPC designation makes these countries subject to U.S. diplomatic and economic actions. (c) The 2018 USCIRF Annual Report recommended that 14 coun.tries be designated as
“countries of particular concern:” Burma, China, Eritrea, India, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam. (d) Answers may vary a bit, but the following information is contained in the Eritrea
chapter in 2018 Annual Report (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/Eritrea.pdf, ac- cessed 14 May 2020). The Eritrea government only allows a small number of religious groups to operate. Many Christians were arrested arbitrarily, and several were arrested for practicing their religious beliefs. Many faith-based schools were closed. Citizenship rights were also denied to Jehovah’s Witnesses.
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(a) See the ARDAweb site (http://thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_76_1.asp, accessed 14 May 2020). You will see that Eritrea has the following measures:
• Religious regulation index = 3.0. • Religious minority discrimination index = 3.0. • State Funding of Religions = 0.0. • Societal discrimination of Minority Religions = 1.0.
Notice that 3.0 is the highest number for each of these measures, so religious regulation and minority discrimination are both very high. The average of these is 1.75. (b) Israel’s four measures are 3.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 3.0 for an average of 2.75. Jamaica’s are
1.0, 1.0, 1.0, 1.0, for an average of 1.0. Jordan’s are 3.0, 3.0, 3.0, 2.0, for an average of 2.75. Kyrgyzstan’s are 3.0, 3.0, 1.0, 1.0, for an average of 2.0. Of these four countries, Israel and Jordan are tied with an average of 2.75, whilc Jamaica has the lowest at 1.0. Notice that Israel and Jordan both have a higher average than Eritrea, yet Eritrea is
designated as a CPC. This tells you that the USCIRF considers other factors beyond what is in these numbers when deciding which countries to designate as CPCs.
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