Rationality,integrity, and religious behavior

Borrowing insights from philosophical discussions on the concept of integrity, we propose a framework to understand religious behavior in consumption, production, and exchange. Whereas previous economic explanations of religious behavior have focused on preferences, opportunity sets, or social pressure, we emphasize the notion of integrity defined as identity-conferring commitments. We provide a framework that not only introduces commitment and identity but includes previous explanations as special cases. We also discuss extensions of the framework in addressing the multiplicity of the dimensions of identity.