Democracy is not an absorbing state; transitions to autocratic rule have been frequent throughout history and often followed periods of instability under democratic rule. In this paper, we ask whether autocrats can win support among voters by showcasing their ability to restore order and to "get...

Social capital is often associated with desirable political and economic outcomes. This paper contributes to the literature exploring the "dark side" of social capital, examining the downfall of democracy in interwar Germany. We collect new data on the density of associations in 229 German towns...

How persistent are cultural traits? This paper uses data on anti-Semitism in Germany and finds continuity at the local level over more than half a millennium. When the Black Death hit Europe in 1348-50, killing between one third and one half of the population, its cause was unknown. Many...

While intermediate inputs account for more than half of a final product's value, intersectoral linkages have been ignored as a source of skill bias. Previous empirical studies have investigated skill demand at the worker-, firm-, and sector-level. This paper integrates intersectoral linkages and...

This paper analyzes how access to imported inputs affects firms in developing countries, where domestically produced high-quality inputs are relatively costly. We build an O-Ring type model with quality complementarity across input tasks, ranking tasks by their quality sensitivity. Because...

What determines whether a new technology will be adopted by a wide array of sectors throughout the economy, turning it into a General Purpose Technology (GPT)? We build a model of endogenous innovation in a setup with heterogenous sectors. These are connected via input-output linkages, so that...

This paper uses the ability to recall one's age correctly as an indicator of numeracy. We show that low levels of nutrition impaired numeracy in industrializing England, 1780-1850. Numeracy declined markedly among those born during the war years, especially where wheat was dear. England's...