Scandinavian Working Papers in Economics
Discussion Papers on Economics,
University of Southern Denmark, Department of Economics
No 12/2012: Religious orders and growth through cultural change in pre-industrial England
Thomas Barnebeck Andersen (), Jeanet Bentzen (), Carl-Johan Dalgaard () and Paul Sharp ()
Additional contact information
Thomas Barnebeck Andersen: Department of Business and Economics, Postal: DeUniversity of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark
Jeanet Bentzen: Department of Economics, Postal: University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, building 26, DK-1353 Copenhagen, Denmark
Carl-Johan Dalgaard: Department of Economics, Postal: University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, building 26, DK-1353 Copenhagen, Denmark
Paul Sharp: Department of Business and Economics, Postal: University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark
Abstract: 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 document that the Cistercians influenced comparative regional development across English counties, even after the monasteries were dissolved in the 1530s. Moreover, we find that the values emphasized by Weber are comparatively more pervasive in regions where Cistercian monasteries were found historically. Pre-industrial development in England may thus have been propelled by a process of growth through cultural change.
Keywords: Cultural values; protestant ethic; economic development
41 pages, July 3, 2012
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