Competition and Performance in the Marketplace for Religion: A Theoretical Perspective

Author(s):  
Mukesh Eswaran

Abstract This paper, which contributes to the literature that rigorously models religious markets, offers a theoretical framework that incorporates demand and supply sides. The model can accommodate Adam Smith’s view that competition may possibly improve on monopoly’s performance and also David Hume’s opposite view that, because the clergy have an incentive to distort the message of religion, monopoly might possibly improve on competition. Impacts on religiosity of greater diversity and of increased competition in the marketplace for religion are isolated. It is shown that while greater diversity benefits the devout (as claimed by “supply-side” theorists), increased competition dilutes spiritual standards by encouraging monetary donations at the expense of genuine piety. These opposing effects of diversity and competition help reconcile apparently contradictory empirical findings on the American religious market and also those suggesting European “exceptionalism.”

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joost Rietveld ◽  
Robert Seamans ◽  
Katia Meggiorin

We study how a multisided platform’s decision to certify a subset of its complementors affects those complementors and ultimately the platform itself. Kiva, a microfinance platform, introduced a social performance badging program in December 2011. The badging program appears to have been beneficial to Kiva—it led to more borrowers, lenders, total funding, and amount of funding per lender. To better understand the mechanisms behind this performance increase, we study how the badging program changed the bundle of products offered by Kiva’s complementors. We find that Kiva’s certification leads badged microfinance institutions to reorient their loan portfolio composition to align with the certification and that the extent of portfolio reorientation varies across microfinance institutions, depending on underlying demand- and supply-side factors. We further show that certified microfinance institutions that do align their loan portfolios enjoy stronger demand-side benefits than do certified microfinance institutions that do not align their loan portfolios. We therefore demonstrate that platforms can influence the product offerings and performance of their complementors—and, subsequently, the performance of the ecosystem overall—through careful enactment of governance strategies, a process we call “market orchestration.”


1989 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 4-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Lambkin ◽  
George S. Day

The traditional product life cycle framework has little to say about the competitive processes that accompany the evolution of a market. The first part of the article identifies the major shortcomings of the product life cycle. This analysis is used to establish the requirements for a more comprehensive model that incorporates both demand- and supply-side factors. The second part shows how concepts from population ecology theory can be adapted to satisfy these requirements. With this dynamic theory, specific propositions can be made about changes in competitive structure and performance as the market evolves.


2021 ◽  
Vol 151 ◽  
pp. 172-179
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Itani ◽  
Michael J. Cassidy ◽  
Carlos Daganzo

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-100
Author(s):  
Peter-Ben Smit

This article applies the theoretical framework of ‘ritual failure’, a sub-discipline of ritual criticism, to Paul’s discussion of circumcision in his letter to the Galatians, Philippians and Romans. It is argued that the application of this theoretical perspective clarifies the dynamics at stake and provides a new way of understanding the development in Paul’s position regarding circumcision. There is movement from an attitude of strong propagation, by way of indifference and a subsequent attitude of rejection, to one of modified reintegration into Paul’s thinking. At every turn of this development, ritual failure plays a pivotal role and functions as a catalyst for the development of Paul’s theology.


2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-42
Author(s):  
Jonathan R. Males ◽  
John H. Kerr ◽  
Joanne Hudson

This case study examines the personal experiences of an elite athlete, coach, and sport psychology consultant (SPC) during the athlete’s preparation and performance in a recent Olympic Games. The qualitative research details how the consultancy process was affected by the athlete’s late admission of the deteriorating relationship with his coach. The concepts of closeness, commitment, complementarity, and co-orientation provided a theoretical perspective to the SPC’s interpretation of athlete performance and the interpersonal conflict that developed between athlete and coach. The basic performance demand model provided an applied perspective. The SPC’s commentary adopts a reflexive discursive style that also focuses on the SPC’s role in the consultancy process and the effectiveness of the performance demand model materials. Five important recommendations arise from the case study, and these might inform other SPCs’ future athlete–coach consultancies and interventions.


2011 ◽  
Vol 50 (4II) ◽  
pp. 715-732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naseeb Zada ◽  
Malik Muhammad ◽  
Khan Bahadar

Given the importance of international trade and export performance in economic growth, this study attempts to examine the determinants of exports of Pakistan, using a time series data over the period 1975-2008. A simultaneous equation approach is followed and the demand and supply side equations are specified with appropriate variables. This is a country-wise disaggregated analysis of Pakistan versus its trade partners and the estimation strategy is based on two approaches. First we employ the Generalised Methods of Moments (GMM), which is followed by the Empirical Bayesian technique to get consistent estimates. The GMM technique is believed to be efficient for time series data provided the sample size is sufficiently large. In case of small samples, the estimates might not be precise and might appear with unbelievable sign and insignificant magnitudes. To avoid the sample bias and other problems, we employ the Empirical Bayesian technique which provides much precise estimates. The factual results obtained via the GMM technique are a little bit mixed, although most of the coefficients are found to be statistically significant and carry their expected signs. In order to compare and validate these results, the Empirical Bayesian technique is employed. This offers considerable improvement over the previous results and all the variables are found to be highly significant with correct sign across the countries concerned with the exception of a few cases. The price and income elasticities in both the demand and supply side equations carry their expected signs and significant magnitudes for the trading partners. The findings suggest that exports of Pakistan are much sensitive to changes in the world demand and world prices. This establishes the importance of demand side factors like world GDP, Real exchange rate, and world prices to determine the exports of Pakistan. On the supply side, we find relatively small price and income elasiticities. The results reveal that demand for exports is relatively higher for countries in NAFTA, European Union and Middle East regions. The study recommends particular concentration on the trade partners in these regions to improve the export performance of Pakistan. Keywords: Exports, GMM, Empirical Bayesian Method, Pakistan


2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-21
Author(s):  
Leena Rouhiainen

Abstract This article contemplates how the cultivation of breath through specific body awareness techniques might be understood to support a dialogical and ethical relatedness between collaborators constructing a performance through an open-ended process. The article introduces a teaching experiment based mainly upon exercises drawn from strands of body psychotherapy that took place within a larger experimental and cross-artistic workshop and performance project. This project aimed at enhancing the collaborative, creative, and critical skills of MA students in dance and theatre pedagogy of the Theatre Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki. The article discusses the overall artistic project as well as the kind of bodywork the teaching experiment involved, and it makes a phenomenologically oriented reading of the written interview material gathered from the students. The specific theoretical perspective taken on the topic draws from two phenomenologically inspired thinkers, namely, Luce Irigaray’s and Timo Klemola’s views on the influence that cultivation of breathing can have on subjectivity. The article suggests that exploring and cultivating breathing through compassion can support the evolution of ethical collaboration in open-ended performance processes.


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