Weber may have been wrong in tracing the hard work ethic to Protestantism

Social scientists have always been concerned about the role of religion for society. In the early twentieth century, there were concerns about the compatibility of Catholicism and liberal democracy; in the post-Cold War period, there were concerns that international relations might be marked by a ‘Clash of Civilizations’; and today there are concerns about the compatibility of Islam and ‘Western culture’. For economists, however, it is the relationship between religion and economic performance that is of prime concern.