Borders of Belief: Protestantism and Social Mobility

Borders of Belief: Protestantism and Social Mobility

Max Weber linked Protestant prosperity to a distinctive work ethic. Recent research emphasizes instead the role of human-capital formation. We contribute to this debate by showing that Protestantism also promoted social mobility, which in turn fostered economic development. We study the Netherlands during the late-nineteenth century, and instrument municipal Protestant share with sixteenth-century archdiocesan boundaries that shaped Catholic enforcement in the Counter-Reformation. Municipalities with higher instrumented Protestant presence subsequently experienced greater social mobility and faster growth. The results link Protestantism’s legacy to the cultural and institutional foundations of modern growth.