History

Overview

Using county data from 19th-century Prussia, my research with Sascha Becker shows that the educational push initiated by Martin Luther, rather than the Protestant ethic propagated by Max Weber, was responsible for the economic success of Protestants.

More generally, our research shows that the education of the population had positive effects on economic development already during the industrialization.

Furthermore, we find that increased attendance of advanced schools was an important cause of secularization at the turn to the 20th century (in contrast to increased income).

Even today, the Habsburg Empire, which ceased to exist a hundred years ago, leaves its marks in Eastern Europe in the trust of the population in state institutions and in corruption.

The later border between the communist East (GDR) and the capitalist West Germany is already visible in many socio-economic characteristics in pre-World War II data.

We also prepared an extensive survey on the role of religion in economic history.