Abstract
We hypothesise that the Habsburg Empire with its well-respected administration increased citizens' trust in local public services. In several Eastern European countries, communities on both sides of the long-gone Habsburg border have shared common formal institutions for a century now. We use a border specification and a two-dimensional geographic regression discontinuity design to identify from individuals living within a restricted band around the former border. We find that historical Habsburg affiliation increases current trust and reduces corruption in courts and police. Falsification tests of spuriously moved borders, geographic and pre-existing differences and interpersonal trust corroborate a genuine Habsburg effect.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 40-74 |
| Number of pages | 35 |
| Journal | The Economic Journal |
| Volume | 126 |
| Issue number | 590 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2016 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Cite this
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The Empire is dead, long live the Empire! Long-run persistence of trust and corruption in the bureaucracy. / Becker, Sascha O.; Boeckh, Katrin; Hainz, Christa; Woessmann, Ludger.
In: The Economic Journal, Vol. 126, No. 590, 02.2016, p. 40-74.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - The Empire is dead, long live the Empire! Long-run persistence of trust and corruption in the bureaucracy
AU - Becker, Sascha O.
AU - Boeckh, Katrin
AU - Hainz, Christa
AU - Woessmann, Ludger
PY - 2016/2
Y1 - 2016/2
N2 - We hypothesise that the Habsburg Empire with its well-respected administration increased citizens' trust in local public services. In several Eastern European countries, communities on both sides of the long-gone Habsburg border have shared common formal institutions for a century now. We use a border specification and a two-dimensional geographic regression discontinuity design to identify from individuals living within a restricted band around the former border. We find that historical Habsburg affiliation increases current trust and reduces corruption in courts and police. Falsification tests of spuriously moved borders, geographic and pre-existing differences and interpersonal trust corroborate a genuine Habsburg effect.
AB - We hypothesise that the Habsburg Empire with its well-respected administration increased citizens' trust in local public services. In several Eastern European countries, communities on both sides of the long-gone Habsburg border have shared common formal institutions for a century now. We use a border specification and a two-dimensional geographic regression discontinuity design to identify from individuals living within a restricted band around the former border. We find that historical Habsburg affiliation increases current trust and reduces corruption in courts and police. Falsification tests of spuriously moved borders, geographic and pre-existing differences and interpersonal trust corroborate a genuine Habsburg effect.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84957851754&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/ecoj.12220
DO - 10.1111/ecoj.12220
M3 - Article
VL - 126
SP - 40
EP - 74
JO - The Economic Journal
JF - The Economic Journal
SN - 0013-0133
IS - 590
ER -