This chapter surveys the recent social science literature on religion in economic history,
covering both socioeconomic causes and consequences of religion. Following the rapidly …

To what extent did sub‐Saharan Africa's twentieth century schooling revolution benefit boys
and girls equally? Using census data and a cohort approach, we examine gender gaps in …

We use the elements of a macroeconomic production function—physical capital, human
capital, labor, and technology—together with standard growth models to frame the role of …

How did Christianity expand in Africa to become the continent's dominant religion? Using
annual panel census data on Christian missions from 1751 to 1932 in Ghana, and pre-1924 …

We study the effect of Protestantism on human capital acquisition using novel data on 234
counties and 2,478 towns in the Korean peninsula in 1930. First, we show that towns with a …

This chapter surveys the literature on the long-term impact of Christian missionaries in Latin
America and Asia. It focuses on human capital, making the argument that religious …

One of the most powerful cultural transformations of the 20th century has been the dramatic
expansion of Christianity outside of Europe. This unique historical process was facilitated by …

What are the origins of differences in the pace of the demographic transition across African
societies, and how do these differences affect economic development? We address this …

We investigate the long-run impacts of Christian missions on female genital cutting (FGC) in
Africa. Our empirical analysis draws on historical data on the locations of early European …

Christian missions in colonial Africa have contributed significantly to the expansion of formal
education and thereby shaped the continent's long-term economic and political …