Treasure in Heaven: Returns to Schooling in Clergy Labor Markets

Seiter, Grant M.

Treasure in Heaven: Returns to Schooling in Clergy Labor Markets

dc.contributor.advisor	North, Charles
dc.contributor.author	Seiter, Grant M.
dc.contributor.department	Baylor Business Fellows.	en_US
dc.contributor.other	Baylor University.	en_US
dc.contributor.schools	honors college	en_US
dc.date.accessioned	2020-05-21T12:52:16Z
dc.date.available	2020-05-21T12:52:16Z
dc.date.copyright	2020
dc.date.issued	2020-05-21
dc.description.abstract	Despite the status of religious organizations as major inputs toward nonprofit sector productivity in the United States, the study of the labor markets for clergy has been limited in the social sciences. One possible reason is that clergy are often considered to have low responsiveness to market forces; they are believed to follow a calling to a profession that has little regard for economic incentives. Even so, many congregations and denominations expect their clergy to be well-educated, with at least a bachelor’s degree and often a graduate degree as well. Such expectations raise questions about career alternatives for young people considering entering the clergy. With this paper, I join a growing literature that explores the financial incentives facing members of the clergy. Using cross-sectional U.S. Census Bureau data from 1950-2010, this research provides a descriptive study of clergy compensation relative to other occupations, examining changes in returns to schooling. I find significant statistical evidence that supports a higher rate of return to schooling for non-clergy overall, and an increasing difference between clergy and non-clergy returns over the sample period. Additionally, the data suggest that the clergy could be a substitute for schooling for less educated African Americans and that the rise of women selecting into the occupation could be partially explained by decreasing opportunity cost for female clergy.	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/2104/10871
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US
dc.rights	Baylor University projects are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.	en_US
dc.rights.accessrights	Worldwide access	en_US
dc.subject	Economics of Religion	en_US
dc.subject	Labor Economics	en_US
dc.subject	Clergy	en_US
dc.title	Treasure in Heaven: Returns to Schooling in Clergy Labor Markets	en_US
dc.type	Thesis	en_US