Scholar

Ludger Woessmann

Ludger Wößmann is a German economist and professor of economics at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU). Moreover, being… more

Ludger Woessmann
H-index: 69
Education 44%
Economics 31%
woessmann.bsky.social
📢 FYI: 🆕 paper on religious education out in JHR: @tomdee.bsky.social ‪@kinnelavinia.bsky.social‬‬ ‪ @raphaelbrade.bsky.social @econmunich.bsky.social ‪@rationalitycrc.bsky.social‬ ‪@cesifo.org‬ @ifoeducation.bsky.social ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
woessmann.bsky.social
➡️Content of school curriculum exerts lifetime influence on students

Even on inner attitudes + values such as religiosity

What you learn in school is for life, indeed‼️
6/6
woessmann.bsky.social
Effects beyond religion:

🧑‍🏭 Higher labor-market participation + earnings (consistent with shift towards worldly norms + economic activities) 🌎

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Reduced fertility

By contrast, no effects on ethical + political values or non-religious school outcomes
5/6
woessmann.bsky.social
👉 Reform abolishing compulsory religious education significantly reduced religiosity of affected students in adulthood

Similar reductions in specific religious actions:
1️⃣ personal act of prayer
2️⃣ public act of church-going
3️⃣ formal (+costly) act of church membership
4/6
woessmann.bsky.social
Two-way fixed effects model (state + cohort fixed effects) exploits staggered reform adoption:

Uses variation in abolishment of compulsory religious education across states + over time to study effects on outcomes in adulthood

3️⃣ datasets:
▶️ NEPS
▶️ ALLBUS
▶️ SOEP
3/6
woessmann.bsky.social
Unique German setting:

🏫 Religious education was compulsory in state schools: 1000 hours over school career (>4x physics)

Abolished in staggered reforms across states 1972-2004

Replaced by option to choose between religious education + non-denominational “ethics”
2/6
woessmann.bsky.social
🚨 Now out in Journal of Human Resources:

⛪️ Can Schools Change Religious Attitudes?
Evidence from German State Reforms of Compulsory Religious Education

w/ @benjaminarold.bsky.social & Larissa Zierow

👉 Religious education in school affects adult lives

🔗 jhr.uwpress.org/content/earl...

A 🧵 1/6

by Ludger WoessmannReposted by Lars P. Feld

by Ludger WoessmannReposted by Lars P. Feld

Reposted by Ludger Woessmann

ifoeducation.bsky.social
Check out the current edition of our newsletter.

Topics:
🔷What adolescents and adults think about social media
🔷Socioeconomic gap in child care
🔷Peers at college entry improve performance
...

👉http://sendlx.com/display.php?M=111124773&C=71415e53f9fcb9e9f5c8facfea005ae8&S=198827&L=2481&N=109616

Reposted by Ludger Woessmann

Reposted by Ludger Woessmann

woessmann.bsky.social
‪Junior workshop 📢 Please spread the word: @rationalitycrc.bsky.social ‪‬@cesifo.org @ifoeducation.bsky.social ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
woessmann.bsky.social
📢 Call for papers:

🚀 4th CESifo Junior Workshop on the Economics of Education 🤩

30-31 March 2026, Munich

Keynote: Michela Carlana (Harvard)

PhD students & early postdocs, please apply!

www.ifo.de/en/cesifo/ev...

Deadline: 11 Jan 2026

@caterinapavese.bsky.social @mtotarelli.bsky.social

by Ludger WoessmannReposted by Lars P. Feld

Reposted by Ludger Woessmann

iabnews.bsky.social
🌍 Haben oder Nichthaben: Chancengleichheit und sozialer Aufstieg 🔎 Eine aktuelle OECD-Studie wirft einen Blick auf die Frage, inwieweit wirtschaftliche Ungleichheit von Startbedingungen beeinflusst wird, die die Menschen nicht kontrollieren können. (1/3)
woessmann.bsky.social
In Zeiten von ständigen Transformationen sollten wir Bildung als Befähigung zu stetigem Wandel verstehen.

Mein Einleitungsvortrag in das Bildungspolitische Forum 2025 des @leibnizbildung.bsky.social

Livestream: www.youtube.com/@Leibniz_bil...

www.leibniz-bildung.de/veranstaltun...

References

Fields & subjects

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