Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP9983
Authors: Nico Voigtländer; Hans-Joachim Voth
Abstract: Can infrastructure investment win ?hearts and minds?? We analyze a famous case in the early stages of dictatorship ? the building of the motorway network in Nazi Germany. The Autobahn was one of the most important projects of the Hitler government. It was intended to reduce unemployment, and was widely used for propaganda purposes. We examine its role in increasing support for the NS regime by analyzing new data on motorway construction and the 1934 plebiscite, which gave Hitler great powers as head of state. Our results suggest that road building was highly effective, reducing opposition to the nascent Nazi regime.
Keywords: establishment of dictatorships; infrastructure spending; nazi regime; political economy; pork-barrel politics
JEL Codes: H54; N44; N94; P16
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| highway construction (R42) | reduced opposition to the Nazi regime (F55) |
| highway construction (R42) | increased support for the Nazi regime (F52) |
| highway construction (R42) | decline in opposition (L49) |