Agrarian Origins of Individualism and Collectivism

Abstract

This study examines the influence of agricultural labor intensity on individualism across U.S. counties. To measure historical labor intensity in agriculture, we combine data on crop-specific labor requirements and county-specific crop mix around 1900. Potential endogeneity of agricultural labor intensity is addressed using climate-induced variation in crop mix. Our estimates indicate that a one standard deviation increase in labor intensity is associated with a reduction of 0.2-0.3 standard deviations in individualism (as captured by the share of children with infrequent names). We further document significant changes in individualism over time using within-county changes in labor intensity due to mechanization and the boll weevil. We also show that historical agricultural labor intensity continues to influence geographic variation in individualism today.