Immigration and the Diffusion of Technology: The Huguenot Diaspora in Prussia

S-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review
Year: 2014
Volume: 104
Issue: 1
Pages: 84-122

Score contribution per author:

8.043 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

This paper analyzes long-term effects of skilled-worker immigration on productivity for the Huguenot migration to Prussia. In 1685, religiously persecuted French Huguenots settled in Brandenburg- Prussia and compensated for population losses due to plagues during the Thirty Years' War. We combine Huguenot immigration lists from 1700 with Prussian firm-level data on the value of inputs and outputs in 1802 in a unique database to analyze the effects of skilled immigration to places with underused economic potential. Exploiting this settlement pattern in an instrumental-variable approach, we find substantial long-term effects of Huguenot settlement on the productivity of textile manufactories.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aecrev:v:104:y:2014:i:1:p:84-122
Journal Field
General
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-02-02