Weber Revisited: The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Nationalism

Kersting, Felix; Wohnsiedler, Iris; Wolf, Nikolaus

doi:10.2139/ssrn.3653945

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(21 reference statements)

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“…Kersting et al. (2019) observe that differences in the distribution of Germans and Poles explain differences in income levels, savings, and literacy rates at the Kreis level in eastern Prussia. Nationality might have affected marriage rates and fertility, as well.…”

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confidence: 99%

The Introduction of Bismarck's Social Security System and its Effects on Marriage and Fertility in Prussia

Guinnane¹,

Streb²

2021

Population & Development Rev

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Economists have long argued that introducing social insurance will reduce fertility. The hypothesis relies on standard models: if children are desirable in part because they provide security in case of disability or old age, then State programs that provide insurance against these events should induce couples to substitute away from children in the allocation of wealth. We test this claim using the introduction of social insurance in Germany in the period 1881-1910. Bismarck's social insurance scheme had three pillars: health insurance, workplace accident insurance, and an old-age pension. Earlier studies typically focus on the pension alone; we consider all three pillars. We find that Bismarck's social insurance system affected fertility overall only via its effects on the incentive to marry. The old-age insurance by itself tended to reduce marriages, but the health and accident insurance components had the opposite effect. For people exposed to all three pillars of social insurance, the two effects cancelled each other and the aggregate effect on fertility was muted. fertility transition; economics; social insuranceIt is no coincidence that the very first country to introduce comprehensive old age pension insurance has today fallen behind. Germans have had generations since 1889, when Bismarck introduced the insurance, to experience how one can cope with old age without having children. Pension insurance has taken over responsibility for income in old age and thus contributed significantly to the childlessness of Germans.

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confidence: 99%

The Introduction of Bismarck's Social Security System and its Effects on Marriage and Fertility in Prussia

Guinnane¹,

Streb²

2021

Population & Development Rev

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“…The role of "culture" in economic development is outlined in Weber's work, written a century ago. Weber argues that a Protestant work ethic was the foundation of economic development through the obligation to economize (Kersting et al, 2019). Weber's initial focus of research into the analysis of the relationship between religious motivation and economic development was to study the situation of workers in rural Eastern Elba.…”

Section: Trust As the Core Of Social Capitalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trust, Money and Business System: Unexplored Connections

CHIFAN,

IPSALAT

2024

Proceedings of the International Management Conference

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Trust is an invaluable asset in today's business landscape, more valuable than money itself. The relationship between trust and the success of businesses is undeniable. However, trust is constantly threatened due to various socio-economic phenomena such as inequality, polarization, financial crises, and pandemics, further eroding confidence. As the world undergoes rapid changes, building and maintaining trust within the business sector has become one of the most challenging endeavors. In this dynamic business environment, businesses must develop and maintain trust by demonstrating transparency and fostering open communication. This research seeks to comprehensively examine the intricate interplay among trust, culture, money, and business systems to gain a macro-social perspective on the pivotal role of trust within a nation's culture, ultimately contributing valuable insights to the field of business studies. By delving into the complex dynamics between these elements, it aims to provide a deeper understanding of how trust influences and shapes the economic and cultural fabric of societies. The paper assesses that a significant level of trust within countries and/or between companies could foster social cohesion, increase collaboration, and contribute to overall prosperity. The paper emphasizes the impact of trust and its representation in money, crucial for effective economic transactions and a favorable business climate, while the ethical and transparent business system plays a pivotal role in fostering trust and ultimately building resilient economies that benefit individuals and communities. As socio-economic landscapes continue to evolve, businesses must embrace trust-building as a core strategy to thrive in an increasingly competitive and uncertain world.

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“…To have some idea about the extensiveness of the use of quantile regression in economic history, The journal which has most frequently published articles employing this technique is the Journal of Economic History, which published 19 articles using quantile regressions for a wide range of topics from 2000, including: Max Weber's hypothesis on the role of Protestantism for economic development (Kersting et al, 2020); the market for paintings in Florence and Italy between 1285 and 1550 (Etro, 2018); the interaction between inequality and financial development in the US during the late nineteenth century (Jaremski and Fishback, 2018); fluctuations in technology during the Great Depression in the US (Watanabe, 2016); the credibility of fixed exchange rates during the classical gold standard era (Mitchener and Weidenmier, 2015); and inequality of wealth in the Ottoman Empire (Coşgel and Ergene, 2012); just to mention those published after 2010. These few examples make clear the broad applicability of quantile methods to questions of interest in economic history, covering issues in micro, macro and financial economics.…”

Section: Quantile Regression In Economic History Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Use of Quantile Methods in Economic History

Clarke¹,

Pailañir²

2021

Preprint

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Quantile regression and quantile treatment effect methods are powerful econometric tools for considering economic impacts of events or variables of interest beyond the mean. The use of quantile methods allows for an examination of impacts of some independent variable over the entire distribution of continuous dependent variables. Measurement in many quantative settings in economic history have as a key input continuous outcome variables of interest. Among many other cases, human height and demographics, economic growth, earnings and wages, and crop production are generally recorded as continuous measures, and are collected and studied by economic historians. In this paper we describe and discuss the broad utility of quantile regression for use in research in economic history, review recent quantitive literature in the field, and provide an illustrative example of the use of these methods based on 20,000 records of human height measured across 50-plus years in the 19 th and 20 th centuries. We suggest that there is considerably more room in the literature on economic history to convincingly and productively apply quantile regression methods.

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Weber Revisited: The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Nationalism

Cited by 4 publications

References 12 publications

The Introduction of Bismarck's Social Security System and its Effects on Marriage and Fertility in Prussia

The Introduction of Bismarck's Social Security System and its Effects on Marriage and Fertility in Prussia

Trust, Money and Business System: Unexplored Connections

The Use of Quantile Methods in Economic History

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