This article delves into the relationship between newspaper readership and civic attitudes, and its effect on economic development. To this end, we investigate the long-term consequences of the introduction of the printing press in the 19th century. In sub-Saharan Africa, Protestant missionaries...

This article delves into the relationship between newspaper readership and civic attitudes, and its effect on economic development. To this end, we investigate the long-term consequences of the introduction of the printing press in the 19th century. In sub-Saharan Africa, Protestant missionaries...

The analysis of African occult belief systems provides a unique example for demonstrating that seemingly outdated and exotic African modes of thought, such as the belief in magic and witchcraft, are modern and have significant impact on social, economic and political structures. Official...

In this paper I reflect upon my life as a Christian and how it has connected to my work as an academic economist. I examine how my parents, teachers, colleagues, mentors, collaborators, and friends have influenced my path thus far. I outline five roles that may potentially be played by...

This paper empirically studies the voting outcomes of Egypt’s first parliamentary elections after the Arab Spring. In light of the strong Islamist success in the polls, we explore the main determinants of Islamist vs. secular voting. We identify three dimensions that affect voting outcomes at...

This paper seeks to determine how region, demographics, and economic characteristics affected county-level voting patterns in the 2000 U.S. presidential election. The a priori expectation was that the geographic voting patterns that emerged in the election were largely attributable to...