Occupational choice and the spirit of capitalism

Matthias Doepke and Fabrizio Zilibotti

No 326, IEW - Working Papers from Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - University of Zurich

Abstract: The British Industrial Revolution triggered a reversal in the social order of society whereby the landed elite was replaced by industrial capitalists rising from the middle classes as the economically dominant group. Many observers have linked this transformation to the contrast in values between a hard-working and frugal middle class and an upper class imbued with disdain for work. We propose an economic theory of preference formation where both the divergence of attitudes across social classes and the ensuing reversal of economic fortunes are equilibrium outcomes. In our theory, parents shape their children's preferences in response to economic incentives. If financial markets are imperfect, this results in the stratification of society along occupational lines. Middle-class families in occupations that require effort, skill, and experience develop patience and work ethic, whereas upper-class families relying on rental income cultivate a refined taste for leisure. These class-specific attitudes, which are rooted in the nature of pre-industrial professions, become key determinants of success once industrialization transforms the economic landscape.

Keywords: Aristocracy; endogenous preferences; entrepreneurship; finance; growth and income distribution; financial development; financial market imperfections; industrial revolution; middle class; patience; portfolio choice; savings; spirit of capitalism; work ethic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D31 D91 G00 G11 N23 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ent and nep-lab
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (17)

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https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/52281/1/iewwp326.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: Occupational Choice and the Spirit of Capitalism (2008)
Working Paper: Occupational Choice and the Spirit of Capitalism (2007)
Working Paper: Occupational Choice and the Spirit of Capitalism (2007)
Working Paper: Occupational Choice and the Spirit of Capitalism (2007)
Working Paper: Occupational choice and the spirit of capitalism (2007)
Working Paper: Occupational Choice and the Spirit of Capitalism
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