19th century 'Protestant work ethic' at heart of Europe's North/South
debt crisis split
.........Becker used data from 19th Century Prussia and looked at 450 counties. He found that educational attainment was higher in Protestant areas and there were more people working in services and manufacturing, rather than agriculture. He also found a larger income gap between those in Protestant areas and those in Catholic areas.
He said: "We looked at Prussia in the 19th Century because this was the society that Max Weber was born into. Religiosity was also more pervasive at this time. It seems religion was the main driver behind education differences, Protestants were more encouraged to go to school and read the bible, and this higher level of education translated into higher incomes than their Catholic neighbours."
In Protestant areas in the 16th Century Reformers pushed to make sure there were church schools operating in all parishes. Dr Becker said this gave Protestants an educational advantage over Catholics and it took more than 100 years for Catholics to catch up..