This is kind of interesting. It equates self-employment with entrepreneurial activity, which I’m not sure is a particularly good indicator – skunkworks and the like are surely entrepreneurial albeit within the confines of an organisation – but good fodder nonetheless for sweeping statements in the pub.
“This paper examines the influence of religion on the decision for people to become an entrepreneur. Based on a large-scale data set of nearly ninety thousand workers in India, this paper finds that religion shapes the entrepreneurial decision. In particular, some religions, such as Islam and Christianity, are found to be conducive to entrepreneurship, while others, such as Hinduism, inhibit entrepreneurship.
In addition, the caste system is found to influence the propensity to become an entrepreneur. Individuals belonging to a backward caste exhibit a lower propensity to become an entrepreneur.
Thus, the empirical evidence suggests that both religion and the tradition of the caste system influence economic behavior, suggesting a link between religion and economics.”