Research Seminar on Diversity and Development Alexey Makarin "The Political Legacy of Nazi Annexation"
HSE International Center for the Study of Institutions and Development (ICSID) and NES Center for the Study of Diversity and Social Interactions are pleased to announce their next joint Research Seminar on Diversity and Development. The event is held jointly with the seminar “Political Economy”.
Alexey Makarin (Einaudi Institute for Economics and Finance) will present his paper “The Political Legacy of Nazi Annexation”. Co-authors - Mario Cannella (Northwestern University) and Ricardo Pique (University of Pennsylvania).
The seminar will be held at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 8, 2020.
Working language of the seminar is English.
Abstract: This paper uses a historical natural experiment – the case of Nazi Operational Zones (OZ) in Italy during WWII – to shed light on the legacy of foreign state repression. While most of Northern Italy was placed under Fascist rule and German military occupation, the OZ were temporarily annexed by Nazi Germany and subjected to full German administrative and military control. A large segment of the OZ boundary partitioned historically homogeneous regions in a quasi-exogenous manner. Using a spatial regression discontinuity design, we first show that the OZ experienced greater foreign repression in the form of political persecution and violence than the neighboring area which was militarily occupied but not annexed. After the war, OZ areas exhibited a higher degree of support for radical opposition and lower political participation. We interpret these findings as evidence of disenchantment in the political process and the state. Consistent with this argument, voters in affected areas showed lower political trust and less support for state power to repress dissent. Overall, our results suggest that foreign repression, even if temporary, can have enduring political and social consequences.
We would like to ask everyone to register for the seminar at https://goo.gl/forms/Sp9brZmfdE5nwX6k1 until 3 pm of December 8. The link to the Zoom conference will be sent to all registered participants before 5 pm. If you have any questions please contact Valeria Kotelnikova (vkotelnikova@hse.ru)
We look forward to seeing you!
Kind regards,
ICSID and NES CSDSI