Building Socialism on Abandoned Land: The Social Impact of Collectivization in Poland

Job Market Paper, Single Author

This paper examines the influence of socialist institutions on the long-term development of civil society. Using the uneven collectivisation of agriculture in socialist Poland as a natural experiment, I combine newly compiled municipal data with two identification strategies based on land reform and post-war deportations. My findings reveal that areas that were historically collectivised today exhibit stronger formal civil society. Conversely, there has been no change in informal social capital. Collectivised regions also demonstrate greater institutional trust and stronger support for left-leaning political parties. These results imply that collective institutions fostered enduring organisational capacities and state-oriented civic norms, demonstrating the ongoing influence of socialist legacies on post-transition societies. Results are robust to alternative specifications and national replication.

War and Worship: The Religious Impact of Swedish Invasions in Poland

Single Author

When the Past Becomes Salient: Repression and the Political Economy in Poland

Single Author

Central European Big Bangs: Migration and the Political Economy in the USA

with Theocharis Grigoariadis

Dividing Empires, Divergent Norms: The Impact of Polish Partitions on Gender Norms and Outcomes

With Piotr Paweł Larysz, Denise Barth, Iga Magda, and Natalia Danzer