After 200 years, the Spanish Inquisition still exacts its toll | Torsten Bell

Regions worst hit by the religious persecution are substantially economically worse off than areas that escaped

History isn't just of historical interest - it matters for understanding economies today. That's the lesson of a growing body of research demonstrating the very long shadow cast by events.

A new paper on the Spanish Inquisition proves the point. The Inquisition lasted from the late 15th century to the early 19th century. Its aim was to root out heresy and its methods were the denunciation of suspects followed by torture and executions. The researchers examined how active the Inquisition was in local areas by considering the number of trials and reveal its lasting effect: areas with little or no Inquisition activity have around 8% (1,450) higher average incomes than those that had lots of persecution.

Continue reading...