Several theories have been advanced to account for the links between religion and development. First, there are theories that typify the ‘rational choice’ approach to religion and development. This approach considers the resilience of religion as a rational economic response to changes in the political, ecological and economic environments in which religions operate. In addition, a range of other structural theories encompass family socialization, social networks and a belief in other-worldly or supernatural elements. However, regardless though of the tradition from which one approaches the study of religion, examining the interactions between religion and development poses significant challenges: first, to understand the endogenous interactions between religion and economic growth; second, to examine the techniques and methods needed to quantify these interactions; and third, to evaluate the impact of religion on development policy more widely. 2