Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP16055
Authors: James A. Robinson; Leander Heldring; Sebastian Vollmer
Abstract: We examine the long-run economic impact of the Dissolution of the English monasteries in 1535, during the Reformation. Since monastic lands were previously not marketed and relatively unencumbered by inefficient types of customary tenures linked to feudalism, the Dissolution provides variation in the longevity of feudal institutions, which is plausibly linked to labor and social mobility, the productivity of agricultureand ultimately the location of the Industrial Revolution. We show that parishes impacted by the Dissolution subsequently experienced a ‘rise of the Gentry’, had higher innovation and yields in agriculture, a greater share of the population working outside of agriculture, and ultimately higher levels of industrialization. Where Catholics lingered, there was less development. Our results are consistent with explanations ofthe Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions which emphasize the commercialization of society as a key pre-condition for taking advantage of technological change and new economic opportunities.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: N43; N63; N93; O14; Q15
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Dissolution of the monasteries (Y40) | Rise in the gentry class (N93) |
| Dissolution of the monasteries (Y40) | Higher agricultural innovation and productivity (Q16) |
| Higher agricultural innovation and productivity (Q16) | Increased marketability of land (R52) |
| Higher agricultural innovation and productivity (Q16) | Reduction of feudal tenures (Q15) |
| Fewer Catholics (Z12) | Higher levels of industrialization (L69) |