Science , religion and economic development

The correlations between scientometric indices, macroeconomic variables and results from attitude polls in different countries were explored. The results show that a minimum threshold of economic development (around GDP per capita of 1000 US$) is required for science and the economy of a country to interact. After that threshold, a positive interaction between economic development, scientific development and tolerant moral-religious attitudes, can be evidenced. The way these interactions occur remains to be uncovered. Ciencia, religión y desarrollo económico: Resumen: Se exploraron las correlaciones entre los índices cientométricos, las variables macroeconómicas y los resultados de encuestas sobre la actitud moral-religiosa en diversos países. Los resultados muestran que se requiere de un umbral mínimo de desarrollo económico (alrededor de 1000 US$ de PIB per capita) para que la ciencia y la economía de un país interactúen. Por encima de ese umbral se evidencia una interacción positiva entre el desarrollo económico, el desarrollo científico y actitudes moral-religiosas tolerantes. Desconocemos todavía los mecanismos de estas interacciones. The emergence of science is probably the most important phenomena for humanity in the last millennium, and occurred after a prolonged period characterized by the emergence, development and expansion of the religions that dominate the world today (deSolla-Price, 1961; Jaffe, 2000). Science and technology are now the backbone of modern economic development. However, many questions about the relationship between science and economic development are still unanswered. Here I want to follow up four of them: 1How strong is the relationship between science and economic development? 2What are the cultural attitudes that most favor economic and/or scientific development? 3Is the relationship between scientific and economic development the same in rich and poor countries? 4Does economic development drives scientific development or vice versa? Partial answers to these questions can be achieved using scientometric indices (For example: Braun & Schubert, 1988; Glänzel and Schoepflin, 1994; Macias-Chapula, 1994; Braun et. al. 1995; Leydesdorff , 1995; May, 1997; Macias-Chapula, 1998 Spinak, 1998; Bharvi et. al. 2003; King, 2004). Regarding question 1, the existence of a strong correlation between scientific productivity and economic development is shown in Table