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Family Types and the Persistence of Regional Disparities in Europe

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  • Gilles Duranton
  • Andrés Rodríguez-Pose
  • Richard Sandall

Abstract

This paper examines the association between one of the most basic institutional forms, the family, and a series of demographic, educational, social, and economic indicators across regions in Europe. Using Emmanuel Todd's classification of medieval European family systems, we identify potential links between family types and regional disparities in household size, educational attainment, social capital, labor participation, sectoral structure, wealth, and inequality. The results indicate that medieval family structures seem to have influenced European regional disparities in virtually every indicator considered. That these links remain, despite the influence of the modern state and population migration, suggests that either such structures are extremely resilient or else they have in the past been internalized within other social and economic institutions as they developed.

Suggested Citation

  • Gilles Duranton & Andrés Rodríguez-Pose & Richard Sandall, 2008. "Family Types and the Persistence of Regional Disparities in Europe," SERC Discussion Papers 0009, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    • Handle: RePEc:cep:sercdp:0009
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Institutions; family types; education; social capital; labor force participation; economic wealth and dynamism; regions; Europe;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

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