The empire is dead, long live the empire! Long-run persistence of trust and corruption in the bureaucracy

Becker, Sascha O.; Boeckh, Katrin; Hainz, Christa; Wößmann, Ludger (2011): The empire is dead, long live the empire! Long-run persistence of trust and corruption in the bureaucracy. CESifo working paper: Fiscal Policy, Macroeconomics and Growth, 3392

Abstract

Do empires affect attitudes towards the state long after their demise? We hypothesize that the Habsburg Empire with its localized and well-respected administration increased citizens’ trust in local public services. In several Eastern European countries, communities on both sides of the long-gone Habsburg border have been sharing common formal institutions for a century now. Identifying from individuals living within a restricted band around the former border, we find that historical Habsburg affiliation increases current trust and reduces corruption in courts and police. Falsification tests of spuriously moved borders, geographic and pre-existing differences, and interpersonal trust corroborate a genuine Habsburg effect.

• Item Type: Paper (Discussion Paper)
• Faculties: Economics; Economics > Chairs > CESifo-Professorship for Empirical Innovation Economics; Economics > Chairs > Seminar for Comparative Economics
• Subjects: 300 Social sciences > 330 Economics
• Language: English