Imperial Rule and Long-Run Development: Human Capital in the Ottoman Europe (Pre-Recorded)

• In Event: Statebuilding and Consolidation

Abstract

This study examines the effects of imperial government on long-run development, in the context of Ottoman rule in Europe. Using a novel geographical dataset that tracks territorial changes at the sub national level over seven hundred years, we identify large negative effects from Ottoman exposure to contemporary economic performance. Contemporary survey data suggests strong support for a causal mechanism involving persistently reduced human capital accumulation. This insight is confirmed by a regression discontinuity analysis using historical data from Romania. We uncover large causal effects of Ottoman rule on literacy rates from the 19th century, which persisted into the first part of the 20th century. We argue that the late introduction of the printing press in the Ottoman empire was an important determinant of low human capital accumulation, and illustrate this using data on the spread of the printing press.

Authors

• Bogdan Gabriel Popescu, Bocconi University

• Mircea Popa, University of Bristol