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Nepotism vs. intergenerational transmission of human capital in Academia (1088–1800)

Author

Listed:
  • David de la Croix

    (IRES/LIDAM, UCLouvain and CEPR)

  • Marc Goñi

    (University of Bergen and CEPR)

Abstract

We have constructed a comprehensive database that traces the publications of father–son pairs in the premodern academic realm and examined the contribution of inherited human capital versus nepotism to occupational persistence. We find that human capital was strongly transmitted from parents to children and that nepotism declined when the misallocation of talent across professions incurred greater social costs. Specifically, nepotism was less common in fields experiencing rapid changes in the knowledge frontier, such as the sciences and within Protestant institutions. Most notably, nepotism sharply declined during the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment, when departures from meritocracy arguably became both increasingly inefficient and socially intolerable.

Suggested Citation

  • David de la Croix & Marc Goñi, 2024. "Nepotism vs. intergenerational transmission of human capital in Academia (1088–1800)," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 29(4), pages 469-514, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jecgro:v:29:y:2024:i:4:d:10.1007_s10887-024-09244-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s10887-024-09244-0
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Intergenerational mobility; Human capital transmission; Nepotism; Universities; Upper-tail human capital; Pre-industrial Europe;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C31 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Cross-Sectional Models; Spatial Models; Treatment Effect Models; Quantile Regressions; Social Interaction Models
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics

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