Religion
Compulsory Religious Education in School
Catholicism and Private School Competition
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.
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).
In addition, Protestantism increased suicide proneness, which had more to do with reduced social cohesion than with theological doctrine.
We also prepared an extensive survey on the role of religion in economic history.
Turning to contemporary analyses, my research shows that reforms that terminated compulsory religious education in German schools reduced religiosity of affected students in adulthood and also affected their family and labor-market outcomes.
Internationally, competition from private schools that emerged from the resistance of the Catholic church against the emerging state school system in the second half of the 19th century positively affect students' academic achievement.