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Are religious conservatives more generous than secular liberals?
By: James Gerstenzang
February 8, 2009
Since receiving his bachelor of arts degree from New Jersey’s Thomas Edison State College 15 years ago, Arthur C. Brooks has torn through the academic world, earning two master’s degrees and a doctorate in five years.
After beginning his academic career at Georgia State University, he moved to Syracuse University and, in barely six years, gained tenure, an associate professorship and an endowed chair, climbing at “a rate of ascent so rapid it just blew people away,” a former colleague said.
His personal bibliography includes seven books, with an eighth on the way. Much of his recent work explores sociological phenomena, particularly the gap he asserts exists between conservatives (happier and generous) and liberals (grumpy and stingy).
His new post as president of the generally conservative American Enterprise Institute puts him in charge of what he says “is basically a happiness factory.”
Perhaps the most controversial element of his academic work has been his assertion that in the political-religious spectrum, religious conservatives are more generous than secular liberals — a conclusion he reached by wading through census and other data.
“It’s original,” said a Syracuse professor who worked closely with Brooks and spoke on the condition of anonymity to feel free to present alternative views. “But … there are some who believe it is fair to say he does manipulate data and there are some who think he steps over the line.”
Reviewing Brooks’ “Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism,” Jeffrey M. Stonecash, a colleague at Syracuse, wrote in The Forum, published by Berkeley Electronic Press:
“The analysis is fundamentally flawed in claiming that conservatives give and care more than liberals because it hinges on a definition of caring that excludes collective action efforts through government that liberals tend to support.”
After beginning his academic career at Georgia State University, he moved to Syracuse University and, in barely six years, gained tenure, an associate professorship and an endowed chair, climbing at “a rate of ascent so rapid it just blew people away,” a former colleague said.
His personal bibliography includes seven books, with an eighth on the way. Much of his recent work explores sociological phenomena, particularly the gap he asserts exists between conservatives (happier and generous) and liberals (grumpy and stingy).
His new post as president of the generally conservative American Enterprise Institute puts him in charge of what he says “is basically a happiness factory.”
Perhaps the most controversial element of his academic work has been his assertion that in the political-religious spectrum, religious conservatives are more generous than secular liberals — a conclusion he reached by wading through census and other data.
“It’s original,” said a Syracuse professor who worked closely with Brooks and spoke on the condition of anonymity to feel free to present alternative views. “But … there are some who believe it is fair to say he does manipulate data and there are some who think he steps over the line.”
Reviewing Brooks’ “Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism,” Jeffrey M. Stonecash, a colleague at Syracuse, wrote in The Forum, published by Berkeley Electronic Press:
“The analysis is fundamentally flawed in claiming that conservatives give and care more than liberals because it hinges on a definition of caring that excludes collective action efforts through government that liberals tend to support.”
