Devotion and Development: Religiosity, Education, and Economic Progress in Nineteenth-Century France

Abstract

This paper studies when religion can hamper diffusion of knowledge and economic development, and through which mechanism. I examine Catholicism in France during the Second Industrial Revolution (1870–1914). In this period, technology became skill-intensive, leading to the introduction of technical education in primary schools. I find that more religious locations had lower economic development after 1870. Schooling appears to be the key mechanism: more religious areas saw a slower adoption of the technical curriculum and a push for religious education. In turn, religious education was negatively associated with industrial development 10 to 15 years later, when schoolchildren entered the labor market. (JEL D83, I21, I26, N33, Z12)

The Dynamics of Financial Development, Government Quality, and Economic Growth in Different Groups of Economies

“…Moreover, human capital amazingly impacts national governance positively in developed economies and negatively in low-income economies. This indicates that developed economies consistently update their education system and apply innovative techniques to improve its quality [51]. However, the education systems of low-income economies remain opposed to this strategy.…”

The Toll of Tariffs: Protectionism, Education and Fertility in Late 19th Century France

“…The first took place in the mid-19th century as the textile and steel industries developed, the second started at the very end of the 19th century, notably in chemistry and electricity production; see O' Brien and Keyder (2011) and Crafts (1984). Cultural and social factors may also have played a role, in particular the decrease in religiosity caused by the French Revolution; see Squicciarini (2020). Towards the end of the 1870s enrolling children in primary schooling was the cultural norm across the country; see Prost (1993).…”

“…The change of government in 1891 implied a more conservative parliament, and it is conceivable that the change in the political climate affected attitudes to family size and towards the use of contraception. Moreover, Squicciarini (2020) has shown that the degree of religious conservatism had a major impact on the (lack of) introduction of technical education in schools during the late 19th century. If education was perceived as being 'less useful' in more religious districts, this could also have affected the demand for schooling and hence enrolment rates.…”

“…These priests became important figures of conservative Catholicism, as argued by Tackett (1977). We follow Squicciarini (2020) and measure the strength of religious conservatism in a department by the fraction of priests in the department that refused the oath. The structure of property is measured by a dummy variable equal to one if the predominant form of agricultural properties in the department were large properties (larger than 40 hectares).…”

Religion, Education, and the State

“…Two recent studies explore the effects of education reforms in France and Turkey. Squicciarini (2019) shows how the Catholic Church, through investments in religious schools, slowed down the diffusion of technical knowledge in 19th century France. Sakalli (2019) shows that religious families in Turkey pushed back against state efforts at secularization by removing their children from public schools.…”