October 18, 2007

Compassionate Conservatism Indeed

Jeff Cornwall comments on some research into the relationship between entrepreneurship and charitable giving, and exposes some myths, in the wake of an appearance on campus by Dr. Arthur Brooks of Syracuse University, author of the new book Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism. One interesting but not-very-surprising conclusion: "Conservative Americans give much more than liberal Americans."

I can immediately think of two reasons why it isn't much of a surprise that politically conservative Americans tend to be more charitable than politically liberal Americans. (I'm speaking of each as a group, not saying there aren't stingy conservatives or generous liberals.)

Reason number one is, politically liberal Americans tend to believe charity to be a primary role of government, to be supported by high tax rates.

Reason number two is the prominence of the Religious Right in conservative politics - politically conservative Christians attend church more regularly than liberals, and often attend conservative Christian churches that stress the Biblical concept of tithing - giving 10 percent of your income.

As Brooks' book description puts it, "Arthur Brooks, a top scholar of economics and public policy, has spent years researching this trend, and even he was surprised by what he found. In Who Really Cares, he demonstrates conclusively that conservatives really are compassionate-far more compassionate than their liberal foes. Strong families, church attendance, earned income (as opposed to state-subsidized income), and the belief that individuals, not government, offer the best solution to social ills-all of these factors determine how likely one is to give."