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

Job Market Paper, Single Author

[Draft January 2026]

Abstract: 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.

Presented at ASREC 2025 at George Mason University, the Economic History Seminar at Humboldt University, Applied Economics Lunch Seminar at Paris School of Economics, Inter-University PhD Workshop in Economic History at Universidad de Barcelona, Workshop on Economic History of the Applied Young Economist Webinar at Monash University, Workshop on Economic History at Uppsala University, YSI Workshop of Developing Regions at Charles III University of Madrid, Applied Microeconomics Seminar at Freie Universität Berlin, and the 15th Swedish Economic History Meeting at Lund University. 

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