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PhD Thesis Review on
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF RELIGIOUS PHENOMENA EVOLUTION IN ROMANIA
by Claudiu HERTELIU
Keywords
quantitative approach, religious phenomena, Censuses, non-parametric regression, stratified regression, Romania, non-parametric statistics, religious studies
"Statistical analysis of religious phenomena evolution in Romania" was elaborated by Claudiu Herteliu, under supervision of PhD, Univ. Prof. Alexandru Isaic-Maniu, in the Academy of Economics Studies in Bucharest , and it was presented for public criticism on the October, 30th 2006, with the permission of the Cybernetics, Statistics and Informatics Faculty.
The thesis's main objectives are to set up a set of statistical indicators in order to analyze the religious phenomenon evolution, with practical application
The PhD thesis consists of seven chapters that cover both theoretical aspects, and a practical application.
In the Introduction, Mr. Herteliu presents the knowledge status of the analyzed domain, within both national and international frameworks. Very interesting definitions concerning the phenomena linked with „the religious market” are presented in this section. The economics specifics methods that could be successfully used in the religious domain are, also, analyzed.
The general context regarding religious phenomenon is described in the first chapter. The author has realized an approaching from historical perspective, with a short focalization on the Max Weber's ideas. The historical context concerning Romania is analyzed taken into account the role of the orthodoxy as an important pillar in the Romanian history.
The statistical methods used to collect information about religious phenomena are shown in the second chapter.
Mr. Herteliu proposes, in the 3rd chapter, a complex and complete system of statistics indicators in order to analyze religious phenomena. The indicators grouped in six categories: context indicators; primitive indicators for classifying the religious phenomena; level and structural indicators; indicators of participation; quality, efficiency and outcomes indicators.
The following elements are presented in a unitary structure for each indicator: definition, goal, symbol, class/category, interpretation, and quality standards.
The indicators regarding quality, efficiency, and outcomes, proposed by the author, are very useful for the analysis. A synthetic indicator for measuring the religious freedom within a geographical area is, also, proposed.
This indicators system could be used as a base for future researches concerning the religious area.
As an application, in the 5th chapter, the author analysis, from statistical point of view, of the religious phenomena evolution in Romania , based on a large documentation, starting with the 19th century. Despite the difficulties, Mr. Herteliu has succeeded to approach and to present in a descriptive manner, using the analytical elements analyzed in the 4th chapter concerning the religious phenomenon in Romania.
In the 6th chapter the religious phenomena is analyzed taken into consideration the connections among religion and other fundamental elements of the society, such are: the level of education, nationality, fertility, health and tourism. The analysis is made within a historical context.
An analysis concerning the possible correlations, from econometrics perspective, between religion and economy, taken into account some Weber's ideas, is made in the 7th chapter.