What sorcery has to do with economics?

                

São Paulo - The belief in witchcraft difficult social trust and even the economy ends up being impaired.

That's the conclusion of a study of Boris Gershman, of the American University in Washington DC, recently published in the Journal of Development Economics.

He used data from a survey made in 2008 and 2009 by the Pew center in 19 countries in sub-Saharan Africa on religious beliefs and attitudes and political and social issues.

On average, 57% believe in witchcraft, but the number reaches 96% in places like Tanzania, and the rates are strongly correlated with the level of social trust.

The correlation remains statistically significant even when controlling for other factors (demographic, historical, climatic, ethnic and others) that could influence the outcome.

"The belief in witchcraft can have a direct adverse effect on interpersonal trust and cooperation through two main channels: to cultivate the fear of being bewitched and spread fear of accusations of witchcraft," says Gershman.

And how cooperation is extremely important for trade and collective projects, it ends up having consequences for the economy as a whole.

Gershman had investigated the relationship between inequality and evil eye. In an interview EXAME.com he explains his new study:

EXAME.com - What are the engine that connecting belief in witchcraft with the economy?

Boris Gershman - To the extent that the belief in witchcraft erodes the cooperative relations in society also contributes to the reduction of economic activity.

Someone who believes in witchcraft has more care and less trust in others, as some of them may have the ability to cause you damage supernatural ways.

People in communities where this belief is widespread tend to avoid social interactions and engaging in cooperative projects, as they may be accused of witchcraft if something goes wrong. The consequences can be severe, destruction of property even death.

EXAME.com - The results surprised you?

Gershman - The main pattern is not so surprising because it has been identified by anecdotal and ethnographic evidence in other works, especially in anthropology.

What may surprise is the conclusion that second-generation immigrants in Europe who have come from countries with more widespread belief in witchcraft also has less trust in others.

This suggests a possible persistence of antisocial traits originate in societies with those beliefs.

EXAME.com - But is that the process is not in the other direction? In Malawi, for example, the economic crisis has caused an increase in the persecution of albinos.

Gershman - This is a variation called "modernization theory" according to which economic progress makes obsolete superstitions, or that poverty causes the proliferation of such belief.

Ethnographic research of the last two decades does not support this view and notes that economic change in sub-Saharan Africa is often accompanied by a high belief in witchcraft, a notion known as "witchcraft modernity."

The association is very weak between simple measures well-being material and the tendency to believe in witchcraft, and the fraction in rural and urban areas is basicamenta the same. More educated people tend to believe less, but among those with higher education the rate still exceeds 50%.

And interestingly, witchcraft is the only belief that has strong correlation with the trust, which is not verified with heaven, hell, reincarnation, miracles or angels. For modernization theory would decline all these beliefs in that develops.

EXAME.com - How weaken this kind of belief and erosion of trust?

Gershman - A part of the literature shows that values, attitudes and beliefs tend to persist over time, but there are also examples of rapid changes in certain aspects of culture.

One way to contribute to that is promoting a vision of rational world through education and the implementation of specific programs that explain the causes of misfortunes such as disease and natural disasters.

The provision of equal economic opportunities for all and protection of the most vulnerable would also help to reduce social anxiety and prevent situations where accusations emerge, which would ease fears related to witchcraft.