Abstract
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 539-544 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | American Economic Review |
| Volume | 103 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - May 2013 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Cite this
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Not the opium of the people : income and secularization in a panel of prussian counties. / Becker, Sascha O.; Woessmann, Ludger.
In: American Economic Review, Vol. 103, No. 3, 05.2013, p. 539-544.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Not the opium of the people
T2 - income and secularization in a panel of prussian counties
AU - Becker, Sascha O.
AU - Woessmann, Ludger
PY - 2013/5
Y1 - 2013/5
N2 - The interplay between religion and the economy has long occupied social scientists. We construct a unique panel of income and Protestant church attendance using 175 Prussian counties, presented in six waves from 1886 to 1911. The data reveal a marked decline in church attendance coinciding with increasing income. The cross-section also shows a negative association between income and church attendance. The associations disappear in panel analyses, including first-differenced models of the 1886 to 1911 change, panel models with county and time fixed effects, and panel Granger-causality tests. The results cast doubt on causal interpretations of the religion-economy nexus in Prussian secularization.
AB - The interplay between religion and the economy has long occupied social scientists. We construct a unique panel of income and Protestant church attendance using 175 Prussian counties, presented in six waves from 1886 to 1911. The data reveal a marked decline in church attendance coinciding with increasing income. The cross-section also shows a negative association between income and church attendance. The associations disappear in panel analyses, including first-differenced models of the 1886 to 1911 change, panel models with county and time fixed effects, and panel Granger-causality tests. The results cast doubt on causal interpretations of the religion-economy nexus in Prussian secularization.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84879103601&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1257/aer.103.3.539
DO - 10.1257/aer.103.3.539
M3 - Article
VL - 103
SP - 539
EP - 544
JO - American Economic Review
JF - American Economic Review
SN - 0002-8282
IS - 3
ER -