Faith and Finance: Predicting Religious Conversions in Faith-Based Microfinance Customers

This book lays out a framework based on behavioral economics to study the characteristics of faith-based microfinance customers in relation to their conversion to or apostasy from Protestantism. Multi-year survey data from a microfinance institution in the Dominican Republic was analyzed using logistic regression analysis to determine which first-year characteristics of customers are connected to their later conversion or apostasy. The capability of the logistic regression model to predict conversion or apostasy was assessed. In addition, the book establishes an outline to examine whether the services and products of faith-based microfinance institutions reduce switching costs related to conversion.