Where we investigate puzzling questions…
Peer-Reviewed Publications
[Published Version][Earlier SSRN Version]
Abstract: This paper explores the contemporaneous effects of Confederate monuments dedicated in the Post-Reconstruction South. I combine monument, election, and census data to create an election-year panel dataset of former Confederate counties between 1878–1912, then exploit the temporally staggered and geographically distributed dedication of monuments using a generalized difference-in-differences design. I find that monuments caused increases in Democratic Party vote share and decreases in voter turnout, with less robust decreases in Black population share. I find some evidence that more intense monument-building is associated with a decrease in Black lynchings. I also find varying effects based on the era of monument dedication, the intensity of monument-building, and monument characteristics. To address potential mechanisms, I present evidence that monuments were associated with increased use of famous Confederate names for children and show that decreases in voter turnout occurred exclusively in areas with larger Black population shares. Overall, my results suggest monuments promoted a distorted view of Civil War history that primarily persuaded southern whites, but also contributed to Black political suppression. The findings have implications for current debates over Confederate monuments in the United States.
Presentations: Yale Econ History Grad Student Conference, GMU, PCS, VAE, ACEI, Troesken Memorial Conference, EHA (Poster), SEA, ASSA, GMU CDS Seminar
Working Papers
[Current Draft][Slides]
Abstract: We leverage plausibly exogenous variation in mortality from the Black Death (1347-52) across European cities to estimate the causal impact of market size on early print adoption. Using the universe of data from the Universal Short Title Catalogue we create a database linking early European printed material to historical city populations. We find that cities whose populations were more heavily impacted by the Black Death were less likely to be early adopters of the press and printed fewer unique book editions. We also provide evidence that beyond own-city mortality there were also spatial spillovers from the Black Death shock.
Presentations: World Economic History Congress, World Cliometric Conference, Markets & Society Conference 2023
[Draft Coming Soon]
Abstract: This paper investigates the impact of state-building on linguistic transition and standardization in Early Modern France. Using the Universal Short Title Catalogue, we construct a city-decade panel of printing activity in European cities from 1500 to 1650. We then estimate the impact of the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterˆets, an ordinance requiring the use of French—rather than Latin—in all legal documents, on French language printing using a difference-in-discontinuities design. Results suggest that the ordinance had spillover effects on non-legal printed materials, promoting the general use of vernacular language in print. The findings have implications for the role of the state in shaping national identity and the legibility of the law.
Presentations: SEA 2022, PCS, VWHPE, Markets & Society, SEA 2025
Abstract: This paper explores the impact of vernacular Bible translations on printed language diversity in early modern Europe. Using data from the Universal Short Title Catalogue, a database containing the universe of known books from the first centuries of moveable-type printing, I construct a language-city panel dataset of vernacular Bible in European cities from 1450–1650. I then use quasi-experimental generalized difference-in-differences and event study designs to assess their effect on the rise of non-Latin printing. I find that vernacular Bibles are associated with increases in vernacular printing on the intensive margin and as a share of total print output. The results have implications for our understanding of the rise and standardization of vernacular languages.
Presentations: Markets & Society Conference 2024, SEA 2024
Papers in Progress
Political Emails
Plague, Print, and Persecution: The Role of Print Media in Shaping Social Responses to Epidemics in Early-Modern Europe (joint with Noel D. Johnson)
The Varieties of Printed Material in Europe between 1450 and 1650: A Title Embeddings Approach (joint with Noel D. Johnson)
Institution Building in Indian Country: Tribal Courts (joint with Thomas Stratmann and Adam Crepelle)
