Tax Reminders and Politicized Religion

Tax reminder messages increase short-term tax compliance

A recent review of 36 randomized evaluations in 32 countries showed that sending tax reminders to citizens increases short-term tax compliance. The most effective reminders emphasized the legal consequences of noncompliance and/or the risk of being audited. These “deterrence” reminders outperformed non-deterrence reminders that emphasized social norms, induced social pressure, or highlighted notions of fairness and the provision of public goods. 

Facty Friday thanks the Governance Team’s Samantha Schasberger for submitting this study!

Political activism reduces perceived authority of religious leaders

A recent study in eleven Middle Eastern countries found that perceived religious authority of Muslim clerics decreases if clerics advocate political positions, even among respondents who support the cleric’s political views. Research on Christianity in the United States and Europe also shows how Christianity's social influence weakens when churches or church leaders are tied to political positions. This research shows the costs of mixing politics and religion; it also contradicts the claim – common in popular writing and in some scholarly accounts – that Islam and its adherents are exceptional in how they relate to politics.

Do you have a study we should share for a future Facty Friday? Send an email to drg.el@usaid.gov!