The Effect of Protestantism on Education before the Industrialization: Evidence from 1816 Prussia
Sascha Becker and
Ludger Woessmann
No 2010-01, Stirling Economics Discussion Papers from University of Stirling, Division of Economics
Abstract:
This paper uses recently discovered data on nearly 300 Prussian counties in 1816 to show that Protestantism led to more schools and higher school enrollment already before the industrialization. This evidence supports the human capital theory of Protestant economic history of Becker and Woessmann (2009), where Protestantism first led to better education, which in turn facilitated industrial development. It rules out that the existing end-of-19th-century evidence can be explained by a Weberian explanation, where a Protestant work ethic first led to industrialization which then increased the demand for education.
Keywords: Education; Protestantism; Pre-Industrialization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010-01
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http://hdl.handle.net/1893/1958
Related works:
Journal Article: The effect of Protestantism on education before the industrialization: Evidence from 1816 Prussia (2010)
Working Paper: The Effect of Protestantism on Education before the Industrialization: Evidence from 1816 Prussia (2010)
Working Paper: The effect of Protestantism on education before the industrialization: Evidence from 1816 Prussia (2010)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:stl:stledp:2010-01
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