Rich among the poor : church, firm, and household among small-scale entrepreneurs in Guatemala City

Abstract

The vast majority of people living in developing countries are deeply religious, which suggests that they devote a good deal of time and money to their church. In Latin America, traditionally a Roman Catholic stronghold, other Christian churches have grown explosively over the last two decades. In Guatemala, as much as a quarter of the population now considers itself Pentecostal, Mormon, Adventist, or Jehovah's Witness. Rich among the Poor explores possible social consequences of these religious changes, by focusing on a group of Mormons and Neo-Pentecostals in a low-income neighborhood of Guatemala City. They are all small-scale entrepreneurs, an important target group in current international cooperation. Following an actor-oriented approach, the study deals with the problems they each encounter while starting a small firm and changing to a new church. The main questions concern how a person's membership in a particular church may help or limit the success of a small firm and what role the owner's household plays here.