Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP13877
Authors: Mara Squicciarini
Abstract: This paper studies when religion can hamper diffusion of knowledge and economic development, and through which mechanism. I examine Catholicism in France during the Second Industrial Revolution (1870–1914). In this period, technology became skill-intensive, leading to the introduction of technical education in primary schools. I find that more religious locations had lower economic development after 1870. Schooling appears to be the key mechanism: more religious areas saw a slower adoption of the technical curriculum and a push for religious education. In turn, religious education was negatively associated with industrial development 10 to 15 years later, when schoolchildren entered the labor market.
Keywords: human capital; religiosity; industrialization
JEL Codes: J24; N13; Z12
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Adoption of Technical Education (O14) | Economic Development (O29) |
| Religiosity (Z12) | Economic Development (O29) |
| Religiosity (Z12) | Adoption of Technical Education (O14) |
| Share of Catholic Schools (I21) | Industrial Employment (L69) |
| Religiosity (Z12) | Industrial Development (O25) |
| Religiosity (pre-1870) (Z12) | Economic Outcomes (post-1870) (N93) |