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Dialects, Cultural Identity, and Economic Exchange

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  • Falck, Oliver
  • Heblich, Stephan
  • Lameli, Alfred
  • Sudekum, Jens

Abstract

We study the effect of cultural ties on economic exchange using a novel measure for cultural identity: dialect similarity across regions of the same country. We evaluate linguistic micro-data from a unique language survey conducted between 1879 and 1888 in about 45,000 German schools. The recorded geography of dialects comprehensively portrays local cultural ties that have been evolving for centuries, and provides an ideal opportunity to measure cul-tural barriers to economic exchange. In a gravity analysis, we then show that cross-regional migration flows in the period 2000-2006 are positively affected by historical dialect similari-ty. Using different empirical strategies, we show that this finding indicates highly time-persistent cultural borders that impede economic exchange even at a fine geographical scale.

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Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by University of Stirling, Division of Economics in its series Stirling Economics Discussion Papers with number 2011-01.

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Date of creation: Jan 2011
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Handle: RePEc:stl:stledp:2011-01

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Postal: Division of Economics, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland FK9 4LA
Phone: +44 (0)1786 467473
Fax: +44 (0)1786 467469
Web page: http://www.econ.stir.ac.uk/
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Keywords: Germany; Gravity; Internal migration; Culture; Language; Dialects;

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References

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Citations

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Cited by:
  1. Nicole B. Simpson & Chad Sparber, 2012. "The Short- and Long-Run Determinants of Less- Educated Immigrant Flows into U.S. States," CReAM Discussion Paper Series 1226, Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM), Department of Economics, University College London.
  2. Simpson, Nicole B. & Sparber, Chad, 2012. "The Short- and Long-Run Determinants of Less-Educated Immigration into U.S. States," IZA Discussion Papers 6437, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
  3. Gabriel Felbermayr & Jasmin Gröschl, 2011. "Within US Trade and the Long Shadow of the American Secession," Ifo Working Paper Series Ifo Working Paper No. 117, Ifo Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich.
  4. Oliver Falck & Christina Guenther & Stephan Heblich & William R. Kerr, 2013. "From Russia with love: the impact of relocated firms on incumbent survival," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 13(3), pages 419-449, May.
  5. Ludger Wößmann, 2011. "Die Bedeutung von Bildung für die Wirtschaftsentwicklung: Eine neue wirtschaftshistorische Forschungsagenda anhand preußischer Kreisdaten, Teil 2," Ifo Schnelldienst, Ifo Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 64(01), pages 41-47, 01.
  6. Mélitz, Jacques & Toubal, Farid, 2012. "Native language, spoken language, translation and trade," CEPR Discussion Papers 8994, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  7. Robert Gold & Oliver Falck & Stephan Heblich, 2011. "The Long Wind of Change. Educational Impacts on Entrepreneurial Intentions," ERSA conference papers ersa11p999, European Regional Science Association.
  8. Robert Gold & Oliver Falck & Stephan Heblich, 2011. "Entrepreneurship Education: The Role of Universities," ERSA conference papers ersa10p1202, European Regional Science Association.
  9. Christopher-Johannes Schild & Matthias Wrede, 2010. "Cultural Identity, Mobility, and Decentralization," MAGKS Papers on Economics 201016, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
  10. Geys, Benny & Osterloh, Steffen, 2012. "Borders as boundaries to fiscal policy interactions? An empirical analysis of politicians' opinions on rivals in the competition for firms," Discussion Papers, Research Professorship & Project "The Future of Fiscal Federalism" SP II 2012-113, Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB).
  11. Philipp Kolo, 2012. "Measuring a New Aspect of Ethnicity - The Appropriate Diversity Index," Ibero America Institute for Econ. Research (IAI) Discussion Papers 221, Ibero-America Institute for Economic Research.

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