This handbook is intended for social scientists whose primary research intersects with the study of religion: sociologists, economists, medical and health ethicists, educators, etc.
The handbook focuses on several major themes: Social Institutions such as Politics, Economics, Education, Health and Social Welfare; Family and the Life Cycle; Inequality; Social Control; Culture; Religion as a Social Institution and in a Global Perspective. The essays offer a context for the study of religion and its impact on social institutions.