Discuss the social and economic influence of religious institutions on two societies, each chosen from a different region.

The question requires that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the social and economic influence of religious institutions on two societies. The two societies must be from different regions. Influence may extend beyond the timeframe but it must be clearly linked to the issue raised in the question. Candidates may offer equal coverage of the two societies, or they may prioritize discussion of one of them. However, both societies will be a feature of the response. Candidates may discuss educational impact, such as the support of education by Hindu religious endowments; the support of higher education by, for example, mosques in Cairo and Fez and by the Pope to Charles IV in Prague. Candidates may refer to economic activities, such as agriculture and construction, for example, in the great monastic estates of England and France. They may refer to the role of religious institutions in upholding traditional social relationships, such as marriage, and loyalty to social “superiors” and in tending to the sick and the poor. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

The question required that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the social and economic influence of religious institutions on two societies, each chosen from a different region. There were very few responses seen.