Religious Heterogeneity: a Barrier or a Factor of Economic Development in Russia?
The article raises the problem of growing religious heterogeneity of the population as a result of present-day globalization. We discuss studies that have analyzed the influence of diversity, inter alia in religion, on social welfare and the ambiguity of their conclusions. This paper continues their work in this area, evaluating the religious diversity in the population of Russian regions with indices that are the most accurate to reflect opposing views on the societal heterogeneity up to date. The first is the Simpson's Diversity Index, which treats diversification as the expected exchange source; the second is the Polarization Index, which captures polarization as the source of conflict. The calculation relies on the data from the Atlas of Religions and Nationalities of Russia and the website of the Federal Agency for Nationality Affairs. By analyzing the influence that the specified indices have on gross output and investment in the private sector, we confirm their statistical significance for the models under consideration: religious heterogeneity affects economic growth indicators positively, while polarization exerts a negative impact.