Zoom: univienna.zoom.us/j/65470650042  
Meeting-ID: 654 7065 0042  |  Kenncode: 218011

The talk examines the long-term legacy of imperial rule on educational outcomes. Using a regression discontinuity design, substantial differences in literacy and schooling within Yugoslavia along the former Habsburg-Ottoman border will be identified. I will trace the evolution of these disparities and show that they diminished over time. I argue that this fading legacy was driven by post-World War II educational reforms, particularly policies promoting gender equality. Nevertheless, I further show that the legacy persisted longest in Muslim-majority areas, where religious resistance to schooling, rather than state discrimination, slowed educational convergence. 
The talk presents the results of a study that the speaker conducted together with Bogdan Popescu (Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico City, MX).

Stefan Nikolić is an economist with expertise in applied economics and economic history. Since September 2023 he is lecturer at the Loughborough University. His research, focused on central and south-eastern Europe, examines spatial inequalities in economic performance. He combines historical data and economic methods to explore why some areas are more economically developed than others.