Buddhism and economic motivation: A three-year ethnography in Thailand
Prof. Heechan SONG
Associate Professor
Sasin School of Management
Chulalongkorn University
Thailand
Date: 11 December 2025 (Thursday)
Time: 10:30-12:00
Venue: E22-G008
Host: Prof. Haitao YU, Assistant Professor in Management
Abstract
Researchers suggest that religious beliefs shape strong self-efficacy, entrepreneurial passion, and robust economic motivation. These positive impacts originate from absolute moral principle and calling, particularly within Protestant traditions, which even effectively justify profit-seeking behavior and the accumulation of personal wealth. This study challenges the established knowledge by illuminating that some religion rather dampens people’s mental states required to foster motivation. A key finding is that the impact of religious doctrines can be manifested differently across social classes. This ethnographic study, conducted in 21 Buddhist temples in Thailand, reveals that Buddhism subconsciously discourages the human innate desire, passion, and agency at the bottom of the socioeconomic pyramid by instilling a nihilistic attitude towards life and work and a salvational wish. Such mental dynamics shift rural devoted Buddhists’ attention from material well-being to the spiritual realm of life, gradually letting them choose to accept the given reality. However, urban Buddhists who adopt the doctrines as stories and myths show strong economic motivation with little spiritual influence. These findings elucidate how religion is perceived, interpreted, and utilized by different social classes, contributing to literature at the intersection of religion, meaning, and hope theory.
Speaker
Prof. Hee-Chan SONG is an associate professor at Sasin Graduate School of Management at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. His main research interest includes corporate sustainability, organization theory, and international business. He is also interested in Buddhism and mindfulness. Most of his research projects are based on long-term fieldwork in Buddhist temples across Asia, which he has been conducting since 2015. This field study aims to integrate Buddhism into organization and management theories through a deep understanding of temple life. Some of his work appears in Academy of Management Annals, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of International Business Studies, Organization Science.
All are welcome!
