Socio-cultural origins of the patterns of technological innovation: What is the likely interaction among religious culture, religious plurality and innovation? Towards a theory of socio-cultural drivers of the patterns of technological innovation

摘要

Culture, democracy, religion and other social factors are drivers of techno-economic development. The greatness of democracy undoubtedly generates the energy for new thinking and innovation among the people. Similarly other social forces such as religion also can cause innovation growth. The article explores the effect of religious pluralism on innovative practices in the society. On one hand, the study analyses the interaction between predominant religious culture of countries and the technological output and on the other hand, tests the hypothesis that higher religious plurality supports innovation. (71 refs.)