The Consequences of State Regulation of Religious Institutions

• In Event: Religious Institutions, the State, and Society in Muslim-Majority Countries

Abstract

Autocrats often take various measures to control the religious sphere and utilize religious institutions as instruments for mass indoctrination. What are the implications of state regulation of the religious sphere on citizens' political attitudes in authoritarian regimes? I argue that such policies are likely to backfire, by generating mistrust of the religious establishment and boosting support for non-state providers of religious services. Empirically, this paper focuses on the case of post-Arab-Spring Egypt. It employs a difference-in-differences design to test this theoretical claim, leveraging recent policy reforms to religious institutioins. The findings indicate that state regulation and monitoring of religious institutions decreases trust in religious institutions.

Author

• Ahmed Ezzeldin Mohamed, Toulouse School of Economics