Pre-Reformation Roots of the Protestant Ethic
Publikation: Working paper › Forskning
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Pre-Reformation Roots of the Protestant Ethic. / Andersen, Thomas Barnebeck; Bentzen, Jeanet Sinding; Dalgaard, Carl-Johan Lars; Sharp, Paul Richard.
Coventry : University of Warwick Working Paper Series, 2013.Publikation: Working paper › Forskning
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TY - UNPB
T1 - Pre-Reformation Roots of the Protestant Ethic
AU - Andersen, Thomas Barnebeck
AU - Bentzen, Jeanet Sinding
AU - Dalgaard, Carl-Johan Lars
AU - Sharp, Paul Richard
N1 - JEL Classification codes: N13; O11; Z12
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - We hypothesize that cultural appreciation of hard work and thrift, the Protestant ethic according to Max Weber, had a pre-Reformation origin. The proximate source of these values was, according to the proposed theory, the Catholic Order of Cistercians. In support, we first document an impact from the Order on growth within the epicenter of the industrial revolution; English counties that were more exposed to Cistercian monasteries experienced faster productivity growth from the 13th century onwards. Consistent with a cultural influence, this impact is also found after the monasteries were dissolved in the 1530s. Second, we find that the values emphasized by Weber are relatively more pervasive in European regions where Cistercian monasteries were located historically, and that the legacy of the Cistercians can be detected in present-day employment rates across European sub-regions.
AB - We hypothesize that cultural appreciation of hard work and thrift, the Protestant ethic according to Max Weber, had a pre-Reformation origin. The proximate source of these values was, according to the proposed theory, the Catholic Order of Cistercians. In support, we first document an impact from the Order on growth within the epicenter of the industrial revolution; English counties that were more exposed to Cistercian monasteries experienced faster productivity growth from the 13th century onwards. Consistent with a cultural influence, this impact is also found after the monasteries were dissolved in the 1530s. Second, we find that the values emphasized by Weber are relatively more pervasive in European regions where Cistercian monasteries were located historically, and that the legacy of the Cistercians can be detected in present-day employment rates across European sub-regions.
KW - Faculty of Social Sciences
KW - Cultural values
KW - Protestant ethic
KW - Economic development
M3 - Working paper
T3 - CAGE Working papers
BT - Pre-Reformation Roots of the Protestant Ethic
PB - University of Warwick Working Paper Series
CY - Coventry
ER -
ID: 50804401