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Priests and postmen: historical origins of national identity

Priests and postmen: historical origins of national identity

496/2020 Claudia Rei
economic history, working papers

496/2020 Claudia Rei

How did historical state and church presence help shape country identity? This paper shows that Portuguese municipalities with more postmen and priests in the 19th century have higher voter turnout in any election today. More postmen (priests) in the 19thcentury however, are associated with lower (higher) turnout in local elections when compared to national elections denoting a stronger sense of national identity (local community). These relationships are robust to geographic and socioeconomic characteristics that could potentially affect voter turnout, suggesting the importance of historical persistence.

Economic History