In the Name of God! Religiosity and the Production of Science
with Jeanet Sinding Bentzen (UCPH)
We examine the role played by religion for the emergence of modern science and economic growth. To do so, we develop novel measures of religiosity based on arguments in psychology and sociology that given names may reflect cultural identities of parents. To validate our measures, we find that among 487,000 individuals born in Europe between 1300 and 1940, those with religious names were more likely to hold religious occupations, be born after earthquakes and in areas where surveys indicate higher levels of religiosity. Next, we document that individuals with religious names were less inclined to become scientists, engineers, or to engage in advanced studies. For identification, we exploit family links and exogenous shocks to religiosity by earthquakes in migrants’ birthplaces. Last, we find that declining religiosity is associated with rising economic growth and more patents in cities across Europe. We rule out mechanisms such as differences across Protestants and Catholics, a general preference for tradition, birth-order effects, name-changing, and parental characteristics. The results corroborate a literature arguing that religion may conflict with modern science, which became increasingly important for economic growth after the Technological Revolution.
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