Pre‐Reformation Roots of the Protestant Ethic

Abstract

We hypothesize that cultural appreciation of hard work and thrift, the Protestant ethic according
\nto Max Weber, had a pre-Reformation origin. The proximate source of these values was, according to
\nthe proposed theory, the Catholic Order of Cistercians. In support, we first document an impact from
\nthe Order on growth within the epicenter of the industrial revolution; English counties that were more
\nexposed to Cistercian monasteries experienced faster productivity growth from the 13th century onwards.
\nConsistent with a cultural influence, this impact is also found after the monasteries were dissolved in the
\n1530s. Second, we find that the values emphasized by Weber are relatively more pervasive in European
\nregions where Cistercian monasteries were located historically, and that the legacy of the Cistercians can
\nbe detected in present-day employment rates across European sub-regions.