Following Max Weber, many theories have hypothesized that Protestantism should have favored economic development. With its religious heterogeneity, the Holy Roman Empire presents an ideal testing ground for this hypothesis. Using population figures of 272 cities in the years 1300–1900, I find...

While the importance of institutions for explaining cross-country income differences is widely recognized, comparatively little is known about the origins of economic institutions. One strand of the literature emphasizes cultural differences while another points at exogenous environmental...

In an attempt to measure the impact of cultural heritage on growth, this paper matches the definition of culture as a stock with the cultural heritage list provided by UNESCO, as it is a variable that changes at a very low pace. We test the hypothesis on whether the existence of a strong...

Thomas Carlyle’s writings are an important conduit for thetransmission of French and German ideas into England duringthe nineteenth century – and Carlyle’s antagonistic relationshipwith the French Enlightenment would have a significant anddurable effect upon Victorian attitudes to French...