RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The Protestant Legacy
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 1946
OP 1980
DO 10.3368/jhr.58.2.0919-10437R2
VO 57
IS 6
A1 Rossella Calvi
A1 Lauren Hoehn-Velasco
A1 Federico G. Mantovanelli
YR 2022
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/57/6/1946.abstract
AB We study the long-term impact of Protestant missions in colonial India on present-day literacy, education, and gender equality in human capital outcomes. We combine contemporary administrative and survey data with archival information on the spatial distribution of missions and the gender composition of missionaries in early 20th-century India. We document a positive long-run link between Protestant missions and human capital today. The relationship is particularly strong for women and for missions with higher female presence. While the data to fully explore the underlying mechanisms are limited, we show that exposure to Protestant missionaries may have induced shifts in gender attitudes.