Pandemic Shock and Economic Divergence: Political Economy Before and After the Black Death by Jeremiah Dittmar

Join us for the latest Applied Economics Research Seminar Series event, Spring Term 2022.

Jeremiah Dittmar from the London School of Economics and Political Science will present Pandemic Shock and Economic Divergence: Political Economy Before and After the Black Death.

Abstract

We document how the Black Death activated politics and led to economic divergence within Europe. Before the pandemic, economic development was similar in Eastern and Western German cities despite greater political fragmentation in the West. The pandemic precipitated a divergence that coincided with prior differences in politics. After the pandemic, construction and manufacturing fell by 1/3 in the East relative to underlying trends and the Western path. Politics institutionalizing local self-government advanced in the West, but not in the East. This divergence is observed across otherwise similar cities along historic borders and foreshadows a subsequent divergence in agriculture.

The seminar will begin with a presentation and will end with a Q and A session.

It will be held on zoom at 4pm on Thursday 10th March. This event is open to all levels of study and is also open to the public. To register your place and gain access to the webinar, please contact the seminar organisers.

This event is part of the Applied Economics Research Seminar Series.