TY - JOUR
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
PY - 2017/9
Y1 - 2017/9
N2 - We hypothesise that cultural appreciation of hard work and thrift, the Protestant ethic according to Max Weber, had a pre-Reformation origin: the Catholic Order of Cistercians. In support, we document an impact from the Order on growth within the epicentre 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. Moreover, the values emphasised by Weber are relatively more pervasive in European regions where Cistercian monasteries were located historically.
AB - We hypothesise that cultural appreciation of hard work and thrift, the Protestant ethic according to Max Weber, had a pre-Reformation origin: the Catholic Order of Cistercians. In support, we document an impact from the Order on growth within the epicentre 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. Moreover, the values emphasised by Weber are relatively more pervasive in European regions where Cistercian monasteries were located historically.
U2 - 10.1111/ecoj.12367
DO - 10.1111/ecoj.12367
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0013-0133
VL - 127
SP - 1756
EP - 1793
JO - The Economic Journal
JF - The Economic Journal
IS - 604
ER -